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Updated: May 22, 2025
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Isolation, Proliferation and Differentiation of Rhesus Macaque Adipose-Derived Stem Cells
Published on: May 26, 2021
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Caloric restriction reprograms adipose tissues in rhesus monkeys.
Josef P Clark1, Timothy W Rhoads2, Sean J McIlwain3,4
1Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53705.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|March 17, 2025
Summary
Caloric restriction (CR) benefits aging by altering fat tissue. This study reveals depot-specific molecular changes in subcutaneous and visceral fat in rhesus monkeys, highlighting conserved adaptations between species.
Area of Science:
- Aging research
- Metabolic studies
- Adipose tissue biology
Background:
- Caloric restriction (CR) is a dietary intervention known to extend lifespan and delay age-related diseases across various species.
- While adipose tissue adaptations are linked to CR's benefits, the specific molecular mechanisms remain largely unelucidated.
- Understanding these changes is crucial for developing targeted interventions against age-related conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular adaptations in subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue depots in response to long-term caloric restriction.
- To identify shared and depot-specific molecular pathways affected by CR in aged male rhesus monkeys.
- To compare these findings with human adipose tissue responses to assess evolutionary conservation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of gene expression profiles from subcutaneous and visceral adipose depots of aged male rhesus monkeys subjected to life-long caloric restriction.
- Differential gene expression analysis to identify genes and pathways significantly altered by CR.
- Pathway enrichment analysis to understand the functional implications of observed gene expression changes.
Main Results:
- Life-long caloric restriction induced both shared and depot-specific molecular adaptations in subcutaneous and visceral adipose depots.
- RNA processing and proteostasis pathways were commonly enriched in both depots under CR.
- Metabolic, growth, and inflammatory pathways exhibited depot-specific responses to caloric restriction.
- Observed depot-specific patterns in rhesus monkeys showed conservation with human adipose tissue responses.
Conclusions:
- Adipose tissue adaptations to caloric restriction are depot-specific, reflecting distinct functional roles and contributions to age-related disease vulnerability.
- The molecular responses to CR in adipose tissue are conserved between rhesus monkeys and humans, suggesting a fundamental biological mechanism.
- These findings provide a molecular basis for understanding how caloric restriction impacts metabolic health and aging across different fat depots.
