RNA-seq comparison of CD81 positive and negative cells in subcutaneous and visceral white fat and brown fat tissues in mouse

Subcutaneous white adipose tissue (scWAT) is known to undergo browning in response to cold exposure. The goal of this study is to identify elusive precursors found within scWAT that possess the ability to differentiate into beige adipocytes. A single cell transcriptomics experiment conducted by us identified the tetraspanin CD81 as a marker of adipose precursor cells (APC) that can convert to beige upon cold exposure. However, what distinguishes a CD81 positive APC from its CD81 negative counterpart in the same tissue, or in a different tissue remains unknown. Therefore, we applied bulk RNA-seq to sorted populations of Lineage negative Sca1+, CD81+/ CD81- cells from subcutaneous and visceral WAT, and brown adipose tissue to decipher the molecular underpinnings that render a CD81+ APC residing in scWAT, beige in response to browning.已知皮下白色脂肪组织（subcutaneous white adipose tissue，scWAT）可在寒冷暴露诱导下发生褐变。本研究旨在鉴定scWAT内难以鉴定的、具备分化为米色脂肪细胞能力的前体细胞。我们通过单细胞转录组学实验，鉴定出四次跨膜蛋白CD81可作为脂肪前体细胞（adipose precursor cells，APC）的标志物，这类细胞可在寒冷暴露下转化为米色脂肪细胞。然而，同一组织乃至不同组织中，CD81阳性APC与其CD81阴性对应细胞的差异机制仍未明确。为此，我们对取自皮下及内脏白色脂肪组织、棕色脂肪组织的谱系阴性Sca1阳性、CD81阳性/CD81阴性细胞群进行分选，并开展批量RNA测序（bulk RNA-seq），以解析scWAT内CD81阳性APC响应褐变信号、转化为米色脂肪细胞的分子基础。