Transcriptomic and lipidomic profiling of subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissues in 15 vertebrates

Abstract The storage of lipids as energy in adipose tissue (AT) has been conserved over the course of evolution. However, substantial differences in ATs physiological activities were reported among species. Hence, establishing the mechanisms shaping evolutionarily divergence in ATs transcriptomes could provide a deeper understanding of AT regulation and its roles in obesity-related diseases. While previous studies performed anatomical, physiological and morphological comparisons between ATs across different species, little is currently understood at the molecular phenotypic levels. Here, we characterized transcriptional and lipidomic profiles of available subcutaneous and visceral ATs samples across 15 vertebrate species, spanning more than 300 million years of evolution, including placental mammals, birds and reptiles. We provide detailed descriptions of the datasets produced in this study and report gene expression and lipid profiles across samples. We demonstrate these data are robust and reveal the AT transcriptome and lipidome vary greater among species than within the same species. These datasets may serve as a resource for future studies on the functional differences among ATs in vertebrate species.