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Li, Amy

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Li

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Li, Amy
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    PPARγ is a Major Driver of the Accumulation and Phenotype of Adipose-Tissue \(T_{reg}\) Cells
    (Nature Publishing Group, 2012) Cipolletta, Daniela; Feuerer, Markus; Li, Amy; Kamei, Nozomu; Lee, Jongsoon; Shoelson, Steven; Benoist, Christophe; Mathis, Diane
    Obesity and type-2 diabetes have increased markedly over the past few decades, in parallel. One of the major links between these two disorders is chronic, low-grade inflammation. Prolonged nutrient excess promotes the accumulation and activation of leukocytes in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and ultimately other tissues, leading to metabolic abnormalities such as insulin resistance, type-2 diabetes and fatty-liver disease. Although invasion of VAT by pro-inflammatory macrophages is considered to be a key event driving adipose-tissue inflammation and insulin resistance, little is known about the roles of other immune system cell types in these processes. A unique population of VAT-resident regulatory T \((T_{reg})\) cells was recently implicated in control of the inflammatory state of adipose tissue and, thereby, insulin sensitivity. Here we identify peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ, the ‘master regulator’ of adipocyte differentiation, as a crucial molecular orchestrator of VAT \(T_{reg}\) cell accumulation, phenotype and function. Unexpectedly, PPAR-γ expression by VAT \(T_{reg}\) cells was necessary for complete restoration of insulin sensitivity in obese mice by the thiazolidinedione drug pioglitazone. These findings suggest a previously unknown cellular mechanism for this important class of thiazolidinedione drugs, and provide proof-of-principle that discrete populations of \(T_{reg}\) cells with unique functions can be precisely targeted to therapeutic ends.