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Following skeletal muscle damage, a population of resident fibro/adipogenic progenitors (FAP) initiates proliferation, resulting in the generation of ectopic white fat but not myofibres. FAPs enhance the differentiation of the myogenic progenitors involved in muscle regeneration.
Ectopic adipocytes in skeletal muscle are observed in several disorders, but their origin is unclear. PDGFRα+ mesenchymal progenitors are identified as responsible for ectopic adipogenesis, which is inhibited by the presence of satellite cell-derived myofibres.