Mobilizable adipose stromal cells fuel regenerative adipogenesis in injured muscle

Labrosse, M.; Mathieu, M.; Le Pelletier, L.; Bourlier, V.; Barreau, C.; Andre, M.; Arnaud, E.; Moro, C.; Sengenes, C.; Girousse, A.; Contreras, X.

doi:10.1101/2025.09.23.678035

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.09.23.678035

Mobilizable adipose stromal cells fuel regenerative adipogenesis in injured muscle

Labrosse, M.·Mathieu, M.·Le Pelletier, L.·Bourlier, V.·Barreau, C.·Andre, M.·Arnaud, E.·Moro, C.·Sengenes, C.·Girousse, A.·Contreras, X.

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Skeletal muscle regeneration is a highly orchestrated process involving the dynamic interplay of multiple cell types. Among these, fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs), a population of resident mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), are essential for creating a supportive microenvironment that promotes satellite cell differentiation and modulates immune responses. Our recent work revealed that adipose stromal cells (ASCs) from subcutaneous adipose tissue (ScAT) infiltrate the injured muscle within the first 24h post-injury, contributing significantly to the regenerative process. Consequently, the FAP population in the regenerating muscle comprises both resident FAPs and infiltrated ASCs. In the present study, using single cell RNA-seq in a mouse model with trackable KikGR+ ASCs and bioinformatics analyses, we identify Limch1+/Prg4+ ASCs as the primary Mobilizable ASCs (Mob-ASCs) that migrate to and infiltrate the injury site. Notably, this migration is detectable as early as 14 hours post-injury. We demonstrate that these cells are pre-activated within the ScAT, primed to initiate both migratory and regenerative programs. Intriguingly, bioinformatic inference of key activated transcription factors suggested that adipogenesis is also activated in these cells. Leveraging supervised machine learning, we tracked the fate of Mob-ASCs within the regenerating muscle post-injury, where they continue to execute these programs. Importantly, these cells lineage is cued towards a fate of adipogenesis. In vivo, we observed transient generation of adipocytes with a peak at 7-9 days post-injury to which infiltrated ASCs contributed. In vitro, conditioned media assays further revealed that adipocytes derived from ASCs--but not those from FAPs--enhance myoblasts fusion. Collectively, our findings establish Limch1+/Prg4+ ASCs as the Mobilizable ASC population and suggest that their transient adipogenic differentiation is beneficial for muscle regeneration.

Explore related subjects

physiology Preprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Labrosse, M., Mathieu, M., Le Pelletier, L., Bourlier, V., Barreau, C., Andre, M., Arnaud, E., Moro, C., Sengenes, C., Girousse, A., Contreras, X.. 2025-09-25. Mobilizable adipose stromal cells fuel regenerative adipogenesis in injured muscle. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.23.678035

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Hypothalamic Farnesoid X Receptor deficiency alters energy balance by modulating hepatic glucose production and adipose tissue metabolism through central insulin signaling.

Objectives: The bile acid nuclear receptor Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR, NR1H4) is a major regulator of metabolism and energy homeostasis in peripheral organs. It modulates bile acid, glucose, and lipid metabolism, as well as fat mass and body weight. However, FXR is also expressed in the brain, particularly in the hypothalamus, a key center for the regulation of energy homeostasis. Although one study has demonstrated a role for brain FXR activation in energy balance, its specific hypothalamic role is still unknown. Here, we examined the role of FXR in the mediobasal hypothalamus in the regulation of energy balance. Methods: We used a genetic approach combined with metabolic phenotyping to determine the effect of FXR invalidation in the mediobasal hypothalamus on metabolic parameters involved in the central regulation of energy homeostasis. Results: Our results demonstrate that hypothalamic FXR deficiency induces a positive energy balance, resulting in a reduction in energy expenditure due to alterations in glucose metabolism accompanied by structural changes in white adipose tissues. Conclusion: This study uncovers a previously unrecognized role for hypothalamic FXR in the central homeostatic control of energy balance, providing new insights into its contribution to peripheral glucose metabolism and adipose tissue structural remodeling.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2026

Rad and Phospholamban are Key Drivers of the Ventricular Adrenergic Response and Stress-Induced Arrhythmia

The adrenergic response is a fundamental mechanism that regulates heart rate (chronotropy), cardiac contractility (inotropy) and relaxation (lusitropy). Adrenergic stress is also a recognized trigger of arrhythmia in disease. Yet, our understanding of the underlying molecular basis remains incomplete. Protein kinase A (PKA) and the calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) phosphorylate multiple targets proposed to participate in the adrenergic response, including the GTP-binding protein Rad, phospholamban (PLB) and ryanodine receptor 2 (RyR2). Here we demonstrate that phosphorylation of both Rad and PLB is necessary for inotropy and lusitropy. We show that changes in cardiac contractility and relaxation are primarily dependent on intracellular calcium handling. Finally, we report that Rad and PLB control stress-induced arrhythmogenesis, despite the phosphorylation of other pro-arrhythmic targets. We have identified the essential molecular components of the adrenergic response, resolving a long-standing debate in cardiac excitation-contraction coupling and refining current models of sympathetic regulation in health and disease.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2026

Light-cycle time-restricted feeding remodels a hidden layer of the cardiac transcriptome through sex-specific transcript switching

Light-cycle time-restricted feeding disrupts daily cardiovascular and thermoregulatory rhythms, but the molecular effects of light-cycle time-restricted feeding on the heart have been measured only at the level of total gene expression. We used Oxford Nanopore long-read RNA sequencing to resolve the full-length ventricular transcriptome from male and female mice under ad libitum feeding or light-cycle time-restricted feeding across the 24-hour cycle. Greater than 20% of cardiac transcripts represent unannotated variants of known genes absent from the current GENCODE reference annotation. Light-cycle time-restricted feeding reorganizes transcript usage across hundreds of genes, including genes encoding splicing regulators, largely without changing total gene expression. The genes affected are sex-specific, with fewer than 2% of changes shared at the gene, transcript, and transcript-usage levels. We show that transcript-level regulation is a previously underrecognized component of the cardiac response to altered feeding behavior, undetected by conventional short-read approaches.

physiology↗