TERT prevents obesity-induced metabolic disorders by promoting adipose stem cell expansion and differentiation

Abstract 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 mTERT’s canonical and non-canonical functions in reducing obesity-associated metabolic disorders. Conditional expression of TERT thus appears as a potential therapeutic option for obesity.