Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40176378›Full record

ArticleObesity (Silver Spring, Md.)2025

Optimized RNA sequencing deconvolution illustrates the impact of obesity and weight loss on cell composition of human adipose tissue.

Cheehoon Ahn, Adeline Divoux, Mingqi Zhou, Marcus M Seldin, Lauren M Sparks, Katie L Whytock

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Cheehoon AhnTranslational Research Institute, AdventHealth, Orlando, Florida, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4140-125X
Adeline DivouxTranslational Research Institute, AdventHealth, Orlando, Florida, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1310-2092
Mingqi ZhouDepartment of Biological Chemistry and Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7643-7873
Marcus M SeldinDepartment of Biological Chemistry and Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
Lauren M SparksTranslational Research Institute, AdventHealth, Orlando, Florida, USA.
Katie L WhytockTranslational Research Institute, AdventHealth, Orlando, Florida, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3486-9452

Funding

ENHANCING THE CALERIE NETWORK TO ADVANCE AGING BIOLOGYR33AG070455 · NIA · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI KIM M. HUFFMAN, WILLIAM E KRAUS · 2021 to 2026
$4.0M
Investigating the role of adipose tissue in mobility and aging (SOMMA-AT)R01AG066474 · NIA · ADVENTHEALTH ORLANDO · PI KERSHAW, ERIN E., SPARKS, LAUREN MARIE · 2020 to 2024
$3.8M
Long-term multi-omics follow-up of the CALERIE Trial to generate new knowledge for geroscienceR01AG061378 · NIA · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · PI Daniel Walker Belsky · 2019 to 2026
$2.9M
NIA NIH HHS R01 AG061378NIA NIH HHS R01 AG066474NIA NIH HHS R33 AG070455NIH HHS R01 AG061378NIH HHS R01 AG066474NIH HHS R33 AG070455
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveCellular heterogeneity of human adipose tissue is linked to the pathophysiology of obesity and may impact the response to energy restriction and changes in fat mass. Herein, we provide an optimized pipeline to estimate cellular composition in human abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (ASAT) bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) datasets using a single-nuclei RNA-seq signature matrix.

methodsA deconvolution pipeline for ASAT was optimized by benchmarking publicly available algorithms using a signature matrix derived from ASAT single-nuclei RNA-seq data from 20 adults and then applied to estimate ASAT cell-type proportions in publicly available obesity and weight loss studies.

resultsIndividuals with obesity had greater proportions of macrophages and lower proportions of adipocyte subpopulations and vascular cells compared with lean individuals. Two months of diet-induced weight loss increased the estimated proportions of macrophages; however, 2 years of diet-induced weight loss reduced the estimated proportions of macrophages, thereby suggesting a biphasic nature of cellular remodeling of ASAT during weight loss.

conclusionsOur optimized high-throughput pipeline facilitates the assessment of composition changes of highly characterized cell types in large numbers of ASAT samples using low-cost bulk RNA-seq. Our data reveal novel changes in cellular heterogeneity and its association with cardiometabolic health in humans with obesity and following weight loss.

Indexed as

Adipose TissueObesitySequence Analysis, RNASubcutaneous Fat, AbdominalWeight LossAdipocytesAdultFemaleHumansMacrophagesMaleMiddle AgedRNA-Seq

Identifiers

PMID40176378
PMCPMC12018139

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.