Fuhrmann Fonden - Studying Obesity‐Induced Changes in Gene Expression in Mature Adipocytes within Their Tissue Context

The aim of this project is to investigate obesity-induced changes in gene expression of mature adipocytes within their tissue context in mice. The transcriptional profile, cellular plasticity, and heterogeneity of mature adipocytes will be investigated by RNA-seq at cell-type specific and individual cell resolution, and compared with whole tissue snRNA-seq and whole tissue bulk RNA-seq. Furthermore, obesity-induced changes in chromatin accessibility of the mature adipocytes will be assessed by ATAC-seq. Obesity-induced changes in gene expression in adipocyte precursor cells will also be assessed by RNA-seq. Specifically, I expect to answer: - How does obesity affect the gene expression profile in mature adipocytes within their tissue context in subcutaneous and visceral WAT depots from male mice? - Are there subpopulations of mature adipocytes within each tissue, which differ between the lean and obese condition? - How does obesity affect the chromatin accessibility in mature adipocytes within their tissue context in subcutaneous and visceral WAT depots from male mice? - How does obesity affect the gene expression profile in adipocyte precursors within their tissue context in subcutaneous and visceral WAT depots from male mice? - Which of the selected approaches is best suited to study changes in gene expression in mature adipocytes within their tissue context?