A team of scientists has identified an unexpected embryonic "starting point" for several brown-fat depots: a small cell niche around the dorsal aorta. Using a combination of time-controlled genetic lineage tracing and single-cell RNA sequencing in early mouse embryos, the researchers show that progenitor cells from this aorta-adjacent region later contribute to brown fat in multiple body locations—while the best-known depot between the shoulder blades (interscapular region) is only minimally derived from this source. The study is published in Nature Communications.
Researchers trace brown fat to an unexpected embryonic source at the aorta
