Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40622306›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of experimental medicine2025

Adipose tissue harbors pathogenic T cells in obesity that exacerbate inflammatory arthritis.

Heather J Faust, Margaret H Chang, A Helena Jonsson, Erin Theisen, Nelson M LaMarche, William V Trim, Lydia Lynch, Peter A Nigrovic, Michael B Brenner

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of experimental medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Heather J FaustDivision of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5305-3323
Margaret H ChangDivision of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3545-8957
A Helena JonssonDivision of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9558-2474
Erin TheisenDivision of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1864-0594
Nelson M LaMarcheDivision of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0009-0008-6072-5077
William V TrimDepartment of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5642-0608
Lydia LynchDepartment of Endocrinology, Molecular Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4273-4681
Peter A NigrovicDivision of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-2126-3702
Michael B BrennerDivision of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6202-8445

Funding

MECHANISMS OF ARTHRITIC &DERMATOLOGY DISORDERST32AR007530 · NIAMS · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI Michael B. Brenner, Ellen M Gravallese · 1986 to 2026
$10.4M
Joint Biology Consortium Resource-based CenterP30AR070253 · NIAMS · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI Peter A Nigrovic, Jeffrey Andrew Sparks · 2016 to 2026
$9.4M
Regulatory iNKT Cells Suppress Inflammation and Drive ThermogenesisR01AI113046 · NIAID · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI BRENNER, MICHAEL B. · 2014 to 2023
$3.9M
Expanded fibroblast subset drives pathology in rheumatoid arthritisR01AR063709 · NIAMS · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI BRENNER, MICHAEL B., RAYCHAUDHURI, SOUMYA · 2015 to 2025
$3.3M
Bridging the gap between GWAS and mechanism in JIAR01AR073201 · NIAMS · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI Peter A Nigrovic · 2019 to 2026
$3.2M
T resident memory cells in arthritisR01AR075906 · NIAMS · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI NIGROVIC, PETER A · 2019 to 2023
$2.1M
Development of resident memory T cells in the synoviumK08AR080992 · NIAMS · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · PI Margaret Chang · 2022 to 2026
$867k
Arbuckle Family FoundationArthritis National Research FoundationImmunologic Mechanisms and Rheumatic Disease R01AI113046-05A1NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI113046NIAMS NIH HHS K08 AR080992NIAMS NIH HHS K08AR080992NIAMS NIH HHS P30 AR070253NIAMS NIH HHS P30AR070253NIAMS NIH HHS R01AI113046-05A1NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR063709NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR073201NIAMS NIH HHS R01AR073201NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR075906NIAMS NIH HHS R01AR075906NIAMS NIH HHS T32 AR007530NIAMS NIH HHS T32AR007530-37NIA NIH HHS R01-AGO73341NIH HHS
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Obesity worsens inflammatory arthritis severity, even in non-load-bearing joints, but the mechanism is unknown. Here, we show that there is an immunological mechanism mediated by T cells in adipose tissue. Using an antigen-induced arthritis model with trackable, arthritis-inducing CD8+ OT-I T cells, we found that OT-I T cells home to visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and expand there in the obese high-fat diet (HFD) context. Transplant of VAT from arthritic mice increased arthritis severity in naïve recipient mice and was ameliorated by CD8 T cell depletion. Bulk RNA sequencing identified pro-inflammatory changes to OT-I T cells in VAT characterized by increased IFN α and γ signaling after HFD. Intraperitoneal injection of IFNα, but not IFNγ, expanded CD8 T cell numbers in VAT. HFD-induced expansion of VAT CD8 T cells was ameliorated with global Ifnar1 deletion, and importantly, genetic deletion of Ifnar1 in T cells decreased arthritis severity in obese mice. These results provide a mechanistic explanation of how obesity worsens autoimmunity.

Indexed as

Adipose TissueArthritisArthritis, ExperimentalCD8-Positive T-LymphocytesInflammationIntra-Abdominal FatObesityT-LymphocytesAnimalsDiet, High-FatInterferon-alphaMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLReceptor, Interferon alpha-betaIfnar1 protein, mouseInterferon-alphaReceptor, Interferon alpha-beta

Identifiers

PMID40622306
PMCPMC12263171

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.