# Analysis of Cellular Plasticity in White Adipose Tissue

> **NIH NIH R56** · WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $151,105

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The long-term goal of this project is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of adipose tissue
establishment, maintenance, and pathophysiological remodeling. Our central hypothesis is that adipose tissue
plasticity involves the creation and resolution of dynamic adipogenic niches involving close interactions among
specific stromal and immune cell subtypes. While single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has identified the
stromal and immune phenotypes that are involved in adipose tissue neogenesis, how these cells are recruited
to specific locations and interact to create and resolve adipogenic niches has not been addressed. In this
continuation we will use cutting edge high-dimensional, high-resolution spatial transcriptomics and proteomics
to map, order, and test the cellular events underlying adipose tissue neogenesis.
Despite recent advances in single cell profiling, the origins of adipocytes and lineage relationships of stromal
cells in adipose tissues remains controversial. To address this critical gap in knowledge we will apply newly-
developed CRISPR/Cas9-based technologies for unbiased, high-dimensional resolution of cell lineages during
the life cycle of adipose tissues. This technology will be integrated with complementary techniques of spatial
transcriptomics, multiplexed 3-dimensional single molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization and
immunofluorescence. This integrated approach will provide comprehensive, unbiased spatial analysis of
lineage relationships in postnatal adipose tissue establishment, expansion, and remodeling in vivo.
Successful completion of this proposal will provide the first unbiased high-dimensional, single-cell-resolution
map of mouse adipose tissues during establishment, expansion, and aging. We will determine the cellular and
molecular mechanisms of adipogenic niche formation and resolution, and resolve long-standing questions of
cell lineages in a comprehensive and unbiased fashion.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10685038
- **Project number:** 2R56DK062292-17
- **Recipient organization:** WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** James G Granneman
- **Activity code:** R56 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $151,105
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2003-05-15 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10685038

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10685038, Analysis of Cellular Plasticity in White Adipose Tissue (2R56DK062292-17). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10685038. Licensed CC0.

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