Regional and Molecular Fingerprint of Adipogenesis

Adipose tissue (AT) is a dynamic organ system with energy homeostasis, endocrine and immunological functions with an important role in the regulation of aging and longevity. During aging, AT undergoes dramatic changes in mass, anatomical re-distribution, cellular phenotypes, metabolic profile and insulin responsiveness, leading to white and brown AT dysfunction. The main roles of AT in the maintenance of systemic glucose, lipid and energy homeostasis are dysregulated with aging as well as obesity. Chronic inflammation is an overlapping feature of obesity and the physiological aging process. The senescence program in AT allows interplay of metabolic alterations and chronic low-grade inflammation (inflamm-aging"), followed by the ectopic lipid deposition, leading to tissue damage or even neoplasia. AT can be found in multiple body sites including skeletal and cardiac muscles, liver, bone marrow and thymus, and is mainly described as negative player.

Adipocytes and AT stromal vascular cells are crucial for the remodeling and regeneration of AT, while extensive changes in their replication, secretory functions and lipid droplet (LD) biogenesis and degradation occur with aging. Heterogeneity within AT stromal cells suggest different senescence programs in distinct AT depots, while the cellular and molecular contexts of adipocytes in bone marrow, liver and muscles with aging are not yet well understood. Although some sites are perceived to have lipid storage function, recent advances particularly in the field of bone marrow adiposity are challenging this notion. Cellular stresses, such as starvation and infections can initiate changes in adipocyte turnover, LD metabolism and dynamics. However, it is not clear how LD accumulation participates in aging and diseases such as myosteatosis, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis and neoplasia.
The aim of this Research Topic is to present novel, original findings and overviews regarding the AT microenvironment in aging and pathologies, including its' regional distribution and interplay with metabolic and inflammatory cues.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Aging-related changes in regional distribution of AT; obesity paradigm and context of adipose microenvironment
- Cellular and molecular landscape of AT stromal and stem cell compartments in aging and disease
- Molecular control of adipogenesis: lipid droplet biogenesis, cell death (lipophagy) programs, energy storage and dissipation, lipotoxicity
- Crosstalk of adipogenesis with hematopoietic processes (marrow adiposity), immune and vascular health
- Peroxisomes and mitochondria as regulators of signaling lipids and redox hemostasis in AT cells
- Rejuvenation strategies: response of adipocytes and AT microenvironmental cells to drugs and nutrition control

Keywords: adipose tissue, differentiation, stem cells, lipids, metabolism, inflammation, aging, obesity, cancer, lipotoxicity, mitochondria, peroxisomes

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.