bioRxiv2025
White adipose tissue (WAT) dysfunction contributes to obesity-associated metabolic disease and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Rodent studies have demonstrated that exercise training improves WAT function, but molecular studies investigating exercise training effects on WAT in humans have been limited, particularly in the context of metabolic disease. Here, we defined the subcutaneous WAT (scWAT) transcriptome in middle-aged adults (10 male, 19 female) that were classified by lower BMI (<27 kg/m2), higher BMI ([≥]27 kg/m2), and T2D status before and after a 10-week endurance exercise regimen. At baseline, 624 genes were significantly upregulated and 112 genes downregulated in the scWAT from higher BMI participants compared to lower BMI. There was a spectrum of pathway dysregulation in scWAT in higher BMI individuals, ranging from increased markers of extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and inflammation to decreased circadian rhythm gene expression. In people with T2D, there were additional transcriptomic differences such as translation-related pathways, selenoamino acid metabolism, and proteoglycans. Exercise training had robust effects on the transcriptome regardless of metabolic status, and notably, for the high BMI and T2D groups, training reversed several of the detrimental gene expression patterns in a cell-type-specific manner. These beneficial exercise-induced transcriptomic adaptations significantly correlated with lower levels of free fatty acids and blood pressure, particularly in participants with higher BMI and T2D. By integrating our exercise training-modulated genes with GWAS meta-analysis of physical activity, genes influenced by exercise training in the higher BMI group showed a significant enrichment in genetic associations of exercise traits in the population. A circadian rhythm-related transcription factor NR1D1 was enriched in enhancers linked with both the exercise differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and GWAS signals, suggesting a link between the circadian rhythm and training-induced adaptations. These findings demonstrate that obesity and T2D result in marked, progressive alterations in cell-type specific gene transcription in scWAT, while endurance exercise training reverses many of the metabolic disease-associated adaptations. Identification of novel molecular pathways regulated by exercise training can lead to therapeutic targets for obesity and metabolic disease.