The obesity epidemic continues to challenge global cardiovascular (CV) health, but not all obesity is equal. Emerging evidence underscores that distinct obesity phenotypes-particularly metabolically h...

In this Review, the authors present a roadmap towards achieving consensus on development, analysis and interpretation of single-cell transcriptomics data in adipose tissue, including discussion of roadblocks, best practices and ideal cell-type markers for annotation of adipose tissue cell types in mice and humans.

The new Schools of Convergence Science will help Imperial supercharge scientific discovery and drive economic growth.

Communications Biology - Transcriptional analysis of lipid associated macrophages across chronic inflammatory diseases and tissues reveals shared and tissue-restricted gene expression programs.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) comprises a heterogeneous population of adipocytes and non-adipocyte cell types. To characterize these cellular subpopulations and their adaptation to cold, we performed single-nucleus mRNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq) on interscapular BAT from mice maintained at room temperature or exposed to acute (24h) or chronic (10 days) cold (6 degree Celsius). To investigate the role of the de novo lipogenesis (DNL)-regulating transcription factor carbohydrate response element-binding protein (ChREBP), we analyzed control and brown adipocyte-specific ChREBP knockout mice. We identified different cell populations, including seven brown adipocyte subtypes with distinct metabolic profiles. One of them highly expressed ChREBP and DNL enzymes. Notably, these lipogenic adipocytes were highly sensitive to acute cold exposure, showing a marked depletion in BAT of control mice that was compensated by other brown adipocyte subtypes maintaining DNL. Chronic cold exposure resulted in an expansion of basal brown adipocytes and adipocytes putatively derived from stromal and endothelial precursors. In ChREBP-deficient mice, lipogenic adipocytes were almost absent under all conditions, identifying the transcription factor as a key determinant of this adipocyte subtype. Pathway and cell-cell interaction analyses implicated a Wnt-ChREBP axis in the maintenance of lipogenic adipocytes, with Wnt ligands from stromal and muscle cells providing instructive cues. Our findings provide a comprehensive atlas of BAT cellular heterogeneity and reveal a critical role for ChREBP in lipogenic adipocyte identity, with implications for BAT plasticity and metabolic function. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

In a mouse model, maternal obesity during pregnancy can lead to fatty liver disease in the offspring, driven by aberrant developmental programming of Kuppfer cells.

The publisher of Physics World and other journals is marking Peer Review Week 2024 by calling for more courtesy in the process.