Blood and adipose-resident eosinophils are defined by distinct transcriptional profiles

M Shah, AJ Knights, EJ Vohralik… - Journal of Leukocyte …, 2023 - academic.oup.com
Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 2023academic.oup.com
Eosinophils are granular leukocytes of the innate immune system that play important
functions in host defense. Inappropriate activation of eosinophils can occur in pathologies
such as asthma and esophagitis. However, eosinophils also reside within adipose tissue,
where they play homeostatic roles and are important in the activation of thermogenic beige
fat. Here we performed bulk RNA sequencing in mouse adipose tissue-resident eosinophils
isolated from both subcutaneous and gonadal depots, for the first time, and compared gene …
Abstract
Eosinophils are granular leukocytes of the innate immune system that play important functions in host defense. Inappropriate activation of eosinophils can occur in pathologies such as asthma and esophagitis. However, eosinophils also reside within adipose tissue, where they play homeostatic roles and are important in the activation of thermogenic beige fat. Here we performed bulk RNA sequencing in mouse adipose tissue-resident eosinophils isolated from both subcutaneous and gonadal depots, for the first time, and compared gene expression to blood eosinophils. We found a predominantly conserved transcriptional landscape in eosinophils between adipose depots that is distinct from blood eosinophils in circulation. Through exploration of differentially expressed transcription factors and transcription factors with binding sites enriched in adipose-resident eosinophil genes, we identified KLF, CEBP, and Fos/Jun family members that may drive functional specialization of eosinophils in adipose tissue. These findings increase our understanding of tissue-specific eosinophil heterogeneity, with implications for targeting eosinophil function to treat metabolic disorders such as obesity.
Oxford University Press