Multilayer-omics Reveal Sex- and Depot-Dependent Adipose Progenitor Cell Heterogeneity

White adipose tissue (WAT) harbors functionally diverse subpopulations of adipose progenitor cells that differentially impact tissue plasticity in a sex- and depot-dependent manner. To date, the molecular basis of this cellular heterogeneity has not been fully defined. Here, we describe a multilayered omics approach to dissect adipose progenitor cell heterogeneity in three dimensions: progenitor subpopulation, sex, and anatomical localization. We applied state-of-the-art mass spectrometry methods to quantify 4870 proteins in eight different stromal cell populations from perigonadal and inguinal WAT of male and female mice and acquired transcript expression levels of 15477 genes using RNA-seq. Notably, our data highlight the molecular signatures defining sex differences in PDGFRb+ preadipocyte differentiation and identify regulatory pathways that functionally distinguish adipose tissue PDGFRb+ subpopulations. Together, the multilayered omics analysis provides unprecedented insights into adipose stromal cell heterogeneity. Overall design: Bulk RNA-seq experiment to analyze gene expression profile in gonadal white adipose tissue FIPs and APCs, and inguinal white adipose tissue DPP4_neg APCs and DPP4_pos APCs from male and female mice.