Advances in Marrow Adiposity by the Scheller & Craft Lab

By Christina •
(left to right) Erica Scheller, DDS, PhD and Clarissa Craft, PhD

In a trio of recent papers, members of the Scheller & Craft lab and colleagues provide key insights about the function of the bone marrow adipocyte and its relationship with cells of the skeletal niche. First, they identify adrenergic receptors as key mediators of the biochemical and functional distinctions between peripheral fat and bone marrow fat. Second, high resolution images (obtained in collaboration with the Washington University Center for Cellular Imaging) provide stunning visuals of the marrow adipocyte at the cellular and sub-cellular level – informing our knowledge about its function within the niche. Summation of the Scheller & Craft lab’s findings, in addition to a comprehensive overview of marrow fat biology, can be found in a 2018 review published in the journal Current Molecular Biology Reports.

References (1–3)

  1. Craft CS, Li Z, MacDougald OA, Scheller EL. Molecular differences between subtypes of bone marrow adipocytes. Curr Mol Biol Rep. 2018 Mar;4(1):16–23.
  2. Robles H, Park S, Joens M, Fitzpatrick J, Craft CS, Scheller EL. Characterization of the bone marrow adipocyte niche with three-dimensional electron microscopy. Bone. 2018 Jan; pii: S8756-3282(18)30020-6.
  3. Scheller EL, Khandaker S, Learman BS, Cawthorn WP, Anderson LM, Pham HA, et al. Bone marrow adipocytes resist lipolysis and remodeling in response to β-adrenergic stimulation. 2018 Bone; pii: S8756-3282(18)30016-4.