Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 29, 2026

An Adipocyte Cell Culture Model to Study the Impact of Protein and Micro-RNA Modulation on Adipocyte Function
Published on: May 4, 2021
Thin Skinned: Aged Adipocyte Atrophy Impacts Innate Immunity
Renee R Wasko1, Valerie Horsley1
1Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Yale University, 219 Prospect St., Box 208103, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
Abstract:
In a recent study, Zhang et al. (Immunity 2019;50:121-136) report that adipocyte atrophy in aged skin increases susceptibility to bacterial infection. Enhanced TGF-β signaling in aged adipocyte progenitor cells induces a fibrotic cell fate that lacks antimicrobial peptides produced by mature adipocytes, highlighting the importance of stromal cells as innate immune effectors.
Related Concept Videos
Introduction to Innate and Adaptive Immunity
Innate immunity is the body's natural, nonspecific defense system that acts quickly to protect against pathogens. It incorporates physical barriers like skin and mucous membranes and cellular elements such as phagocytes and natural killer cells. This part of our immune system provides an immediate,...
Cells of the Innate Immune Response
Phagocytes
Phagocytes police the peripheral tissues by removing cellular debris and responding to the invasion of foreign substances or pathogens. Many phagocytes attack and remove microorganisms even before lymphocytes detect them. The human body has two general...
What is the Immune System?
Impact of Groups on Groups
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Impact
When particles with different initial velocities collide, they induce deformation by applying equal and opposite impulses. At the point of maximum deformation, the particles move together with...

