Developmental regulation of dermal adipose tissue by BCL11b

Abstract

The distinct anatomic environment in which adipose tissues arise during organogenesis is a principle determinant of their adult expansion capacity. Metabolic disease results from a deficiency in hyperplastic adipose expansion within the dermal/subcutaneous depot; thus, understanding the embryonic origins of dermal adipose is imperative. Using single-cell transcriptomics throughout murine embryogenesis, we characterized cell populations, including Bcl11b⁺ cells, that regulate the development of dermal white adipose tissue (dWAT). We discovered that BCL11b expression modulates the Wnt signaling microenvironment to enable adipogenic differentiation in the dermal compartment. Subcutaneous and visceral adipose arises from a distinct population of Nefl⁺ cells during embryonic organogenesis, whereas Pi16⁺/Dpp4⁺ fibroadipogenic progenitors support obesity-stimulated hypertrophic expansion in the adult. Together, these results highlight the unique regulatory pathways used by anatomically distinct adipose depots, with important implications for human metabolic disease.