Premium
What's the matter with MAT? Marrow adipose tissue, metabolism, and skeletal health
Author(s) -
Scheller Erica L.,
Rosen Clifford J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/nyas.12327
Subject(s) - adipose tissue , lipodystrophy , white adipose tissue , bone marrow , bone remodeling , biology , haematopoiesis , brown adipose tissue , osteoporosis , phenotype , endocrinology , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , stem cell , genetics , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , viral load , antiretroviral therapy , gene
Marrow adipose tissue (MAT) is functionally distinct from both white and brown adipose tissue and can contribute to systemic and skeletal metabolism. MAT formation is a spatially and temporally defined developmental event, suggesting that MAT is an organ that serves important functions and, like other organs, can undergo pathologic change. The well‐documented inverse relationship between MAT and bone mineral density has been interpreted to mean that MAT removal is a possible therapeutic target for osteoporosis. However, the bone and metabolic phenotypes of patients with lipodystrophy argues that retention of MAT may actually be beneficial in some circumstances. Furthermore, MAT may exist in two forms, regulated and constitutive, with divergent responses to hematopoietic and nutritional demands. In this review, we discuss the role of MAT in lipodystrophy, bone loss, and metabolism, and highlight our current understanding of this unique adipose tissue depot.