An Encyclopedia of the Adipose Tissue Secretome to Identify Mediators of Health and Disease

Presenter: Paul Cohen, MD, PhD, Albert Resnick, M.D. Associate Professor, Rockefeller University

Abstract

White and brown adipocytes not only play a central role in energy storage and combustion but are also dynamic secretory cells that secrete signaling molecules linking levels of energy stores to vital physiological systems. Disruption of the signaling properties of adipocytes, as occurs in obesity, contributes to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders. Fat cells have been estimated to secrete over 1,000 polypeptides and microproteins and an even larger number of small molecule metabolites. The great majority of the adipocyte secretome has not been defined or characterized. A major obstacle has been the lack of suitable technologies to quantitatively identify circulating proteins and metabolites, determine their cellular origin, and elucidate their function. Building on key innovations in chemical biology and mass spectrometry, our team is generating an encyclopedia of the white and brown adipocyte secretome in mouse models and humans. Our work has the potential to identify new secreted mediators with roles in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic diseases, provide a crucial resource for researchers and clinicians, and lead to new biomarkers and therapies.

The top 3 key questions that this resource can answer:
1. What techniques can be used to characterize the secretome of a cell type in vitro and in vivo?
2. What is the full complement of proteins and metabolites secreted by different kinds of adipocytes?
3. How should one prioritize uncharacterized secreted mediators for functional study?

Resource link: https://secrepedia.org/

Dial-in Information: https://uchealth.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lc-2qpjMsHtQCPxxO9ryWqUdl3mR2aKDZ

Date/Time: Friday, February 9, 2024, 11 am - 12 pm PT