TERT prevents obesity-induced metabolic disorders by promoting adipose stem cell expansion and differentiation
Obesity is linked to limited adipose tissue (AT) remodeling capacity, leading to hypertrophic adipocytes, senescence, and inflammation. We used a mouse model expressing mTert (p21+/Tert) from the Cdkn1a locus to investigate the role of mTERT in obesity-induced metabolic disorders. Conditional expression of mTERT reduces metabolic disorders associated with obesity. In AT, this is accompanied by a decrease in the number of senescent p21-positive cells, very short telomeres, and oxidative DNA damage. Single nucleus RNA-seq data reveal TERT expression attenuates senescence induced by HFD in particular in adipose stem and progenitor cells (ASPC). We show that ASPC expansion and differentiation are promoted in p21+/Tert obese mice, thereby reducing metabolic disorders. We further report that mTERT remodels the landscape of macrophages in AT of obese mice. Strikingly, inactivation of mTERT catalytic activity in p21+/Tert (p21+/TertCi) mice suppresses the promotion of adipocyte formation, but neither affects attenuation of senescence nor macrophage remodeling. These results highlight mTERTs canonical and non-canonical functions in reducing obesity-associated metabolic disorders. Conditional expression of TERT thus appears as a potential therapeutic option for obesity.