Eosinophils regulate intra-adipose axonal plasticity

X Meng, X Qian, X Ding, W Wang… - Proceedings of the …, 2022 - National Acad Sciences
X Meng, X Qian, X Ding, W Wang, X Yin, G Zhuang, W Zeng
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2022National Acad Sciences
Sympathetic innervation regulates energy balance, and the nerve density in the adipose
tissues changes under various metabolic states, resulting in altered neuronal control and
conferring resilience to metabolic challenges. However, the impact of the immune milieu on
neuronal innervation is not known. Here, we examined the regulatory role on nerve plasticity
by eosinophils and found they increased cell abundance in response to cold and produced
nerve growth factor (NGF) in the white adipose tissues (WAT). Deletion of Ngf from …
Sympathetic innervation regulates energy balance, and the nerve density in the adipose tissues changes under various metabolic states, resulting in altered neuronal control and conferring resilience to metabolic challenges. However, the impact of the immune milieu on neuronal innervation is not known. Here, we examined the regulatory role on nerve plasticity by eosinophils and found they increased cell abundance in response to cold and produced nerve growth factor (NGF) in the white adipose tissues (WAT). Deletion of Ngf from eosinophils or depletion of eosinophils impairs cold-induced axonal outgrowth and beiging process. The spatial proximity between sympathetic nerves, IL-33–expressing stromal cells, and eosinophils was visualized in both human and mouse adipose tissues. At the cellular level, the sympathetic adrenergic signal induced calcium flux in the stromal cells and subsequent release of IL-33, which drove the up-regulation of IL-5 from group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), leading to eosinophil accretion. We propose a feed-forward loop between sympathetic activity and type 2 immunity that coordinately enhances sympathetic innervation and promotes energy expenditure.
National Acad Sciences