In November, Clair Crewe, PhD and collaborators has their research titled “Adipose tissue macrophages exert systemic metabolic control by manipulating local iron concentrations,” published in “Nature Metabolism.”
The cellular compartmentalization and concentration of iron in biological processes is important and needs to be closely monitored and controlled. “Although iron overload can contribute to obesity-associated metabolic deterioration, the subcellular localization and accumulation of iron in adipose tissue macrophages is largely unknown.”
In the study, Crewe and colleagues show that by altering adipocyte iron concentrations in male mice, macrophage mitochondrial iron levels control systemic metabolism.