GOING BEYOND SKIN DEEP IN IDENTIFYING GOOD FAT FROM BAD FAT

A*STAR scientists discover a faster way to tell fat cells apart to get down to the skinny of fat towards healthier outcomes

20 February 2014, Singapore - Scientists from A*STARs Singapore Bioimaging Consortium (SBIC) led in the discovery that two little-known fat cell markers have huge potential to assist researchers to further their understanding of fats. The discovery was recently published in prestigious science journal, Stem Cell Reports[1].

Adipose or fat cells are essential for proper body function. Yet, being too fat is detrimental to your health and raises risk of developing metabolic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. With worldwide obesity nearly doubling since 1980, there is an urgent need for research into the science of diseases caused by obesity[2].

Fat stem cells are young cells that mature into fully functioning fat cells. The research team looked at two different fat stem cells types: subcutaneous fat found beneath the skin and visceral fat surrounding internal organs. The researchers are able for the first time to tell apart subcutaneous from visceral fat stem cells using specific cell markers.

The researchers looked at 240 different markers present on the surface of fat stem cells and discovered two markers called CD10 and CD200. An imaging technique called High-Content Screening (HCS) was used to spot these markers individually by latching them with florescence tags. What the scientists found was subcutaneous fat contained more CD10 signals while visceral fat exhibited more CD200. By using the different composition of CD10 and CD200 on fat stem cell surface, scientists can use these marking signatures to differentiate subcutaneous from visceral fat.

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:: 20, Feb 2014 :: GOING BEYOND SKIN DEEP IN IDENTIFYING GOOD FAT FROM BAD FAT