Adhesion-Related Macrophages Regulate Metabolic Homeostasis through CAV-1 Dependency

However, our investigation revealed a previously overlooked subpopulation of macrophages adhered to adipocytes, which we term adhesion-related macrophages (ARMs). We developed an approach to isolate ARMs and compared them with SVF macrophages (SMs).

Our findings demonstrate that ARMs constitute the predominant expanded subpopulation of ATMs during obesity, ARMs acquire adipocyte mRNA through direct adhesion to adipocytes, thereby enhancing their lipid processing capacity. Notably, ARMs can be characterized by a key functional marker, Caveolin-1. Genetic ablation of Caveolin-1 in macrophages significantly diminishes ARM abundance, disrupting their adhesion capacity and lipid content, leading to adipocyte hypertrophy, adipose tissue expansion, and impaired glucose homeostasis.