Cell 178, 1–13 (2019)

A subset of macrophages infiltrate adipose tissue and regulate its expansion, alleviating symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

Immune cells are known to infiltrate white adipose tissue in obesity and contribute to systemic metabolic syndrome. However, the molecular signaling pathways that recruit and regulate the function of these cells has remained elusive.

A worldwide group of researchers identified a population of white adipose tissue macrophages that are stimulated in adipose tissue by the lipid receptor TREM2. The cells can prevent lipid overexpansion and alleviate metabolic syndrome in mice, and they correlate to obesity in humans, suggesting that they can be targeted in therapeutic approaches.