Fibro-adipogenic progenitors play a crucial role in skeletal muscle regeneration, as they generate a favorable niche that allows satellite cells to perform efficient. 

After muscle injury, FAP content increases rapidly within the injured muscle, the origin of which has been attributed to their proliferation within the muscle itself. However, recent single-cell RNAseq approaches have revealed phenotype and functional heterogeneity in FAPs, raising the question of how this differentiation of regenerative subtypes occurs. 

Here DCU researchers have found that FAP-like cells residing in subcutaneous adipose tissue are rapidly released in response to muscle injury. Additionally, we find that released cells infiltrate the damaged muscle, via a platelet-dependent mechanism and thus contribute to the FAP heterogeneity. 

Collectively, our data reveal that ScAT is an unsuspected physiological reservoir of regenerative cells that support skeletal muscle regeneration, underlining a beneficial relationship between muscle and fat.