Met-Vision stratifies single cell metabolism revealing coexisting energetic states in tissue macrophages redistributed by inflammation

Abstract

The function of tissue-associated macrophages is tightly linked to their energy metabolism. Yet, the diversity of macrophage metabolic profiles coexisting in tissues at homeostasis or during immune challenges is incompletely understood. Here, we introduce Met-Vision, an imaging-based pipeline for single-cell functional profiling and classification of energy metabolism. Across multiple tissue contexts, we identified that macrophages do not adopt a uniform metabolic profile but typically co-exist in four discrete metabolic states with distinct dependence on OXPHOS and metabolic plasticity. Inflammation reconfigured the distribution of macrophage metabolic profiles that remained heterogeneous. Notably, inflammation-derived nitric oxide finely tuned the distribution of macrophage energetic states. These findings challenge the view of homogenous metabolic activation and reveal a layer of metabolic diversity in tissue at steady state and during inflammation. The ability to stratify macrophage energy metabolic profiles with Met-Vision should help guide the development of metabolism-targeted therapies for inflammatory diseases, cancer, and metabolic disorders. Significance statementThis study introduces Met-Vision and reveal that tissue macrophages occupy four distinct energetic states, challenging the notion of uniform metabolic activation and opening avenues for guiding metabolism-targeted therapies.