Mice with increased T cell responsiveness develop obesity

Backkground Immune activation plays a key role in the development of obesity-induced diseases, however the exact role of various cell types in development of obesity per se is not known. Methods We have studied the development of obesity in a mouse model of increased T cell responsiveness. By using bone marrow transplantation and adoptive T cell transfer we have studied the causal effect of immune cells in the development of obesity. CyTOF analysis and single cell RNA sequencing have been used to describe immune cell composition in the mice. Results We have studied a mouse model of increased T cell responsiveness that develops significant adiposity without any further intervention. We have shown that this phenotype can be transferred with immune cells to several different recipient mouse models, suggesting that T cells are causally involved in obesity development.