# Investigating Human Adipocyte Heterogeneity

> **NIH NIH RC2** · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · $2,111,451

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The parenchymal cell of adipose tissue is the white adipocyte, which is now understood to be a dynamic
and active participant in metabolic homeostasis. Adipocytes store and release energy as needed, they
coordinate physiological functions throughout the body via the elaboration of “adipokines”, and they
have associations with human disease traits. Understanding the diversity of human adipocytes has
been challenging, because of the technical difficulties inherent in working with large, fragile cells. We
have now used advanced single nuclear sequencing techniques to circumvent this issue, and have now
identified seven distinct subpopulations of human white adipocytes. There are many questions
remaining, including whether there are more subpopulations in different adipose depots, what their
functions are, and how they develop. In this proposal we will address these issues using a combination
of phenotyping modalities, combined with experimental manipulations of signaling molecules and
transcription factors that are predicted to affect adipocyte subpopulation development and function.
Furthermore, we will associate these subpopulations with human metabolic disease traits. Finally, a key
deliverable of this proposal is a Human Adipose Tissue Knowledge Portal, which will assimilate the data
generated here and integrate it with data from other groups, facilitating standardization of experimental
protocols, data analysis, and nomenclature. The resulting database will be a community resource and
the starting point for a new era of adipose tissue biology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10847402
- **Project number:** 5RC2DK116691-07
- **Recipient organization:** BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Orr Ashenberg
- **Activity code:** RC2 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $2,111,451
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-04-23 → 2028-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10847402

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10847402, Investigating Human Adipocyte Heterogeneity (5RC2DK116691-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10847402. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*