Transcriptional Evidence for Transient Regulation of Muscle Regeneration by Brown Adipose Transplant in the Rotator Cuff

Chronic rotator cuff injuries can lead to a degenerative microenvironment that favors chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and fatty infiltration. Recovery of muscle structure and function will ultimately require a complex network of muscle resident cells, including satellite cells, fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs), and immune cells. Recent work suggests that signaling from adipose tissue and progenitors could modulate regeneration and recovery of function, particularly pro-myogenic signaling from brown or beige adipose (BAT). In this study, we sought to identify cellular targets of BAT signaling during muscle regeneration using a rotator cuff BAT transplantation mouse model. Cardiotoxin injured supraspinatus muscle had improved mass at 7 day post-surgery (dps) when transplanted with exogeneous BAT. Transcriptional analysis revealed transplanted BAT modulates FAP signaling early in regeneration likely via crosstalk with immune cells.