Dermal white adipose tissue (DWAT) is a main component of human skin, composed of individual lipid-laden mesenchymal cells known as dermal adipocytes (DAs). Besides their well-known role in lipid storage and release, DAs also promote skin immunity, wound healing and hair follicle cycling and are important players in cutaneous neuro-endocrinology. The ever-growing insights into DWAT functions, albeit mostly in mice, have invited speculation that it may be involved in multiple skin diseases ranging from fibrosis to alopecia and psoriasis, thus designating human DWAT a clinically relevant, but as yet insufficiently investigated skin compartment. Therefore, this practical, user-friendly guide aims to introduce the techniques available to study human DWAT in situ and ex vivo, including immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence microscopy and analysis via quantitative immunohistomorphometry. Here we provide information on a collection of stains comprising pre-adipocyte (Pref1) and mature adipocyte markers (Perilipin1, Caveolin1), as well as various lipid (OilRedO, BODIPY) and histochemical stains (H&E, Trichrome) available for use on human DWAT. We offer the reader guidelines on fixing, processing and staining human DAs and highlight caveats and solutions to common problems that one may encounter when studying this fascinating skin compartment. We also suggest standard methods for conducting quantitative immunohistomorphometry on human DWAT and its individual adipocytes in order to quantify cell size, number, lipid content and fluorescence intensity of adipose-specific markers. Finally, we briefly introduce in situ hybridisation, transmission electron microscopy, and essentials of MRI imaging as additional tools for instructively interrogating this largest, but still least-known compartment of human skin. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
2
3%
Other
8
13%
Unknown
22
35%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 31 October 2018.
All research outputs
#19,900,901
of 24,453,338 outputs
Outputs from Experimental Dermatology
#1,737
of 2,338 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#258,279
of 332,749 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Experimental Dermatology
#50
of 71 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 24,453,338 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 10th percentile – i.e., 10% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 2,338 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 5.6. This one is in the 9th percentile – i.e., 9% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 332,749 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 12th percentile – i.e., 12% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 71 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
