Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases Open access Peer reviewed

Adipocyte OX40L promotes adipose T cell activation and insulin resistance in obesity

Jianfeng Song, Qin Zeng, Yayi Jiao, Xiaoxiao Sun and 15 more

Experimental & Molecular Medicine | Jul 6, 2026

Scollr summary

What this paper is about

This work systematically profile co-stimulatory molecules in adipocytes and adipose tissue macrophages and identifies OX40 ligand (OX40L) as the most robustly upregulated in obesity.

Full abstract

Read the full abstract

T cells contribute critically to obesity-induced adipose inflammation and insulin resistance, yet the co-stimulatory signals that govern their activation in adipose tissue remain unclear. Here, we systematically profile co-stimulatory molecules in adipocytes and adipose tissue macrophages and identify OX40 ligand (OX40L) as the most robustly upregulated in obesity. OX40L is also elevated in adipocytes from obese humans. Although macrophage-specific OX40L deletion has no metabolic impact, global OX40 deficiency or adipocyte-specific OX40L deletion reduces Th1 cell accumulation in visceral adipose tissue, attenuates inflammation and improves insulin sensitivity without affecting adiposity. These benefits are reversed by Th1 cell transfer. Therapeutic blockade of OX40L with a neutralizing antibody mimics the protective effects of genetic deletion. Our findings identify adipocyte-derived OX40L as a critical mediator of obesity-associated immune dysfunction and establish it as a targetable checkpoint for tissue-specific immunotherapy in metabolic disease.

Direct answer

What can I do from this paper page?

Use this page to scan "Adipocyte OX40L promotes adipose T cell activation and insulin resistance in obesity" quickly: start with the summary and abstract, then check the authors, source, topics, and related papers. From here, open Scollr to follow Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases research, save the paper, or map adjacent work.

Authors

Researchers on this paper

Jianfeng Song

first | Central South University

Qin Zeng

middle | Central South University

Yayi Jiao

middle | Central South University

Xiaoxiao Sun

middle | First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology | ORCID 0000-0002-9689-9385

Limin Xie

middle | Central South University

J L Qiu

middle | Central South University

Yujin Ding

middle | Central South University

Wanyu Hu

middle | Central South University

Fang Wang

middle | Central South University | ORCID 0000-0002-3327-4177

Biling Huang

middle | Central South University | ORCID 0000-0002-1060-8787

Wuqian Mai

middle | Central South University

Ying Mei

middle | Central South University

Research areas

Follow related topics

Citation

BibTeX

@article{Song2026Adipocyte,
  title = {Adipocyte OX40L promotes adipose T cell activation and insulin resistance in obesity},
  author = {Jianfeng Song and Qin Zeng and Yayi Jiao and Xiaoxiao Sun and Limin Xie and J L Qiu and Yujin Ding and Wanyu Hu and Fang Wang and Biling Huang and Wuqian Mai and Ying Mei and Dandan Wang and Lan Xie and Xiang Xiao and Liu W and Willa A. Hsueh and X Li and Tuo Deng},
  journal = {Experimental & Molecular Medicine},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1038/s12276-026-01770-8},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-026-01770-8}
}

FAQ

Using this paper in a discovery workflow

How do I find related work for this paper?

Use the related papers and topic links on this page as starting points. In Scollr, you can also open the paper and build a literature map around its references, citing papers, and related work.

How can I keep up with new Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases research papers?

Follow Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases research in Scollr. New papers from the topic flow into a personalized feed, and you can save useful studies to revisit later.

Can I cite this paper from this page?

This page includes a static BibTeX block for Adipocyte OX40L promotes adipose T cell activation and insulin resistance in obesity. Always verify the DOI, source, and publication details against the publisher record before submitting a manuscript.

Follow this research in Scollr

Follow the topics and authors behind this paper, save useful studies, and build a literature map when you are ready to go deeper.

Get the app