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Published on: April 9, 2018
Leukocyte migration in adipose tissue of mice null for ICAM-1 and Mac-1 adhesion receptors
Rebecca L Robker1, Robert G Collins, Arthur L Beaudet
1Section of Leukocyte Biology, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, 1100 Bates Avenue, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Objective:
To determine whether the leukocyte adhesion receptors ICAM-1 and Mac-1, regulators of immune cell migration, have an intrinsic role within adipose tissue by 1) analyzing the expression of ICAM-1 in adipose tissue, 2) identifying leukocyte populations within adipose tissue, and 3) determining whether ICAM-1 and Mac-1 mutant mice exhibit abnormal numbers of adipose tissue leukocytes.
Research Methods And Procedures:
Wild-type, ICAM-1(-/-), and Mac-1(-/-) mice were fed a long-term high-fat diet. ICAM-1 expression was analyzed by Northern blot and immunohistochemistry. Leukocytes within adipose tissue were identified by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry.
Results:
ICAM-1 was expressed in adipose tissue and localized to the vascular endothelium. Macrophages and lymphocytes were prevalent within the stromal-vascular cell fraction of adipose tissue, and gender-specific differences were observed, with adipose tissue from female mice containing significantly more macrophages than tissue from male mice. Numbers of leukocytes in ICAM-1(-/-) and Mac-1(-/-) mice were not different from wild-types, however, indicating that these adhesion receptors are not required for leukocyte migration into adipose tissue.
Discussion:
Our results documented leukocyte populations within adipose tissue, which may be involved in the development of heightened inflammation that is characteristic of obesity.
