Research published in engineering identified fucosylated immunoglobulin G (IgG) as a key mediator contributing to age-related adipose tissue dysfunction, providing insight into age-related metabolic disorders and potential therapeutic targets.
Researchers from North China University of Science and Technology and Capital Medical University conducted transcriptomic and glycoproteomic analyzes of epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) from young and aged mice. RNA-seq results showed significant downregulation of adipogenic genes in aged eWAT, accompanied by increased expression of inflammatory and fibrotic markers, which was verified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Comprehensive N- and O-glycoproteomic profiling revealed widespread glycosylation changes in aging adipose tissue and revealed that differentially glycosylated proteins reside primarily in the extracellular space and are involved in innate immune responses, trafficking, signal transduction, and extracellular matrix-receptor interaction pathways.
Of note, IgG glycosylation levels were significantly increased in aged mice. N-fucosylation of IgG1, IgG2a, and IgG3 was increased, whereas only IgG2a showed increased O-fucosylation. This indicates that N-fucosylation is a common age-related modification among IgG subtypes. in vivo Experiments demonstrated that the reduction of IgG due to B cell depletion enhances the expression of adipogenic genes and suppresses the expression of fibrotic markers in aged mice. These effects were reversed upon supplementation with fucosylated or nonfucosylated IgG. Compared with non-fucosylated IgG, fucosylated IgG exacerbated inflammation and fibrosis while inhibiting adipogenesis more strongly, confirming the role of fucosylated IgG in promoting age-related adipose dysfunction.
This finding links IgG fucosylation to hypometabolism, chronic inflammation, and fibrosis in aged adipose tissue. Modulating IgG fucosylation may be a potential strategy to alleviate age-related metabolic disorders and improve the health of elderly populations.
The paper, “Fucosylated IgG contributes to age-related adipose tissue dysfunction,” was authored by Jingyu Wang, Wei Su, Haotian Wang, Licui Liu, Jinlong Li, and Youxin Wang.
sauce:
Reference magazines:
Wang, J. Others. (2026). Fucosylated IgG contributes to age-related adipose tissue dysfunction. engineering. DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2025.10.008. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095809925006034?via%3Dihub
