Innate T Cells Govern Adipose Tissue Biology

Abstract

During the past 25 y, the immune system has appeared as a key regulator of adipose tissue biology and metabolic homeostasis. In lean animals, adipose-resident leukocytes maintain an anti-inflammatory microenvironment that preserves the proper functioning of the tissue. In this review, we describe two populations of innate T cells enriched in adipose tissue, invariant NKT and γδ T cells, and how they serve overlapping and nonredundant roles in controlling adipose tissue functions. These cells interact with and expand anti-inflammatory regulatory T cells and M2 macrophages, thereby driving a metabolically beneficial tissue milieu. Surprisingly, we have found that adipose invariant NKT and γδ T cells also promote weight loss and heat production in a process called “nonshivering thermogenesis.” The data surrounding these two cell types highlight their powerful ability to regulate not only other leukocytes, but also tissue-wide processes that affect an entire organism.