"When injuries or infections occur, the immune system mounts a protective response by releasing cells and proteins to affected tissues. This complex cascade is called inflammation. But as we age, inflammation gradually increases and becomes persistent instead of being a state that occurs only when things go wrong. Among the cells that that help to regulate this inflammageing are a variety of macrophages - white blood cells that hoover up pathogens and cellular debris - that reside in fat tissue."
"To build a clearer picture, Gonzalez-Hurtado and her colleagues imaged macrophages in the visceral fat, the deep fat that wraps around the organs, of young and aged mice. The researchers sorted the macrophages into categories on the basis of the cells' RNA molecules. These molecules indicate which genes in a cell are active, and therefore offer a guide to the cell's function."
A newly discovered immune-cell type appears exclusively in aged mice and displays molecular signatures linked to persistent, age-associated inflammation known as inflammageing. Other immune cells in fat tissues, including diverse macrophage subtypes, play roles in keeping inflammation in check. Visceral fat, the deep fat surrounding organs, contains macrophages with varied gene-activity profiles. Imaging and RNA-based sorting of macrophages from young and aged mice provided insights into cell identities and potential functions. These analyses revealed thirteen distinct visceral-fat macrophage types, indicating substantial cellular diversity that likely shapes inflammatory dynamics during the ageing process.
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