title: Dermal Adipocytes: From Irrelevance to Metabolic Targets?
abstract: Dermal white adipose tissue (dWAT) has received little appreciation in the past as a distinct entity from the better recognized subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT). However, recent work has established dWAT as an important contributor to a multitude of processes, including immune response, wound healing and scarring, hair follicle (HF) growth, and thermoregulation. Unique metabolic contributions have also been attributed to dWAT, at least in part due to its thermic insulation properties and response to cold exposure. Dermal adipocytes can also undergo an adipocyte-myofibroblast transition (AMT), a process that is suspected to have an important role in several pathophysiological processes within the skin. Here, we discuss emerging concepts regarding dWAT physiology and its significance to a variety of cellular processes.
authors.affiliation: Scientific Department, Wellcomet GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Ilja L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Kruglikov
authors.affiliation: Touchstone Diabetes Center, Departments of Internal Medicine and Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA. Electronic address: philipp.scherer@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Philipp E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Scherer
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D052436:Adipose Tissue, White / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology
keywords: adipocyte-myofibroblast transition; adipose derived stem cells; dermal insulation; pigmentation; scarring