The functional and metabolic characteristics of specific adipose tissue (AT) depots seem to be determined by intrinsic mechanisms. We performed a comprehensive transcriptome profiling of human AT from distinct fat depots to unravel their unique features potentially explaining molecular mechanisms underlying AT distribution and their contribution to health and disease. Post-mortem AT samples of five body donors from 15 anatomical locations were collected. Global mRNA expression was measured by Illumina® Human HT-12 v4 Expression BeadChips. Data were validated using qPCR and Western Blot in a subset of ATs from seven additional body donors. Buccal and heel AT clearly separated from the “classical” subcutaneous AT depots, and perirenal and epicardial AT were distinct from visceral depots. Gene-set enrichment analyses pointed to an inflammatory environment and insulin resistance particularly in the carotid sheath AT depot. Moreover, the epicardial fat transcriptome was enriched for genes involved in extracellular matrix remodeling, inflammation, immune signaling, coagulation, thrombosis, beigeing, and apoptosis. Interestingly, a striking downregulation of the expression of leptin receptor was found in AT from heel compared with all other AT depots. The distinct gene expression patterns are likely to define fat depot specific AT functions in metabolism, energy storage, immunity, body insulation or as cushions. Improved knowledge of the gene expression profiles of various fat depots may strongly benefit studies aimed at better understanding of the genetics and the pathophysiology of obesity and adverse body fat composition.

特定脂肪组织（AT）库的功能和代谢特征似乎由内在机制决定。我们对来自不同脂肪库的人AT进行了全面的转录组分析，以揭示其独特的功能，从而潜在地解释了AT分布的分子机制及其对健康和疾病的贡献。收集了来自15个解剖位置的五名身体供体的验尸后AT样本。通过人HT-12 v4表达BeadChips测量整体mRNA表达。使用qPCR和Western Blot在来自另外七个供体的AT子集中验证数据。颊和足跟AT与“经典”皮下AT储库明显分开，肾周和心外膜AT与内脏储库不同。基因集富集分析指出炎症环境和胰岛素抵抗，尤其是在颈动脉鞘AT储库中。此外，心外膜脂肪转录组富含涉及细胞外基质重塑，炎症，免疫信号传导，凝血，血栓形成，米色和凋亡的基因。有趣的是，与所有其他AT库相比，从脚后跟的AT中发现瘦素受体表达的显着下调。独特的基因表达模式可能会定义脂肪库在代谢，能量存储，免疫力，身体隔离或作为垫子方面的特定AT功能。更好地了解各种肥胖源的基因表达谱可能会有益于旨在更好地了解肥胖和不良体脂成分的遗传学和病理生理学的研究。