Expression profiling by high throughput sequencing
Summary
Natural killer (NK) cells contribute to the development of obesity-associated insulin resistance. We demonstrate that in mice obesity promotes the expansion of interleukin-6 receptor (IL6Ra)-expressing NK cells, which also express a number of other myeloid lineage genes such as the colony-stimulating-factor 1 receptor (Csf1r). Selective ablation of Csf1r- expressing NK cells prevents obesity and insulin resistance. Moreover, conditional inactivation of IL6Ra or Stat3 in NK cells limits obesity-associated formation of myeloid signature NK cells, protects from obesity, insulin resistance and obesity-associated inflammation. Also in humans IL6Ra+ NK cells increase in obesity, correlate with markers of systemic low-grade inflammation and their gene expression profile overlaps with characteristic gene sets of NK cells in obese mice. Collectively, we demonstrate that obesity-associated inflammation and metabolic disturbances depend on IL-6/Stat3-dependent formation of distinct NK cells, which may provide a novel target for the treatment of obesity, metaflammation-associated pathologies and diabetes.
Overall design
RNA sequencing of two types of NK cells from mouse and human (IL6Ra negative NK cells vs. IL6Ra positive NK cells) and mouse organs (IL6Ra_NKdel vs. IL6Ra_NKflox)
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