Intra-tumoral infiltration of adipocyte facilitates the activation of antitumor immune response in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

•High adipocyte infiltration in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is related to significantly increased median overall survival and lower total tumor mutational burden in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).•Adipocyte infiltration in the TME facilitates abundant cytokine infiltration and is positively associated with anticancer immune signatures in PDAC.•Adipocytes elicit increased CD8+ T-cell infiltration and potent antitumor activity in transplantation tumor model of PDAC.•We explored the function of adipocytes infiltrating in the TME innovatively and it provides a new perspective on the activation of immune microenvironment in PDAC.