Induction of lipolysis in vitro and loss of body fat in vivo by zinc-alpha2-glycoprotein

Loss of adipose tissue in cancer cachexia has been associated with tumour production of a lipid-mobilizing factor (LMF) which has been shown to be homologous with the plasma protein zinc-alpha(2)-glycoprotein (ZAG). The aim of this study was to compare the ability of human ZAG with LMF to stimulate lipolysis in vitro and induce loss of body fat in vivo, and to determine the mechanisms involved. ZAG was purified from human plasma using a combination of Q Sepharose and Superdex 75 chromatography, and was shown to stimulate glycerol release from isolated murine epididymal adipocytes in a dose-dependent manner. The effect was enhanced by the cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor Ro20-1724, and attenuated by freeze/thawing and the specific beta3-adrenoreceptor antagonist SR59230A. In vivo ZAG caused highly significant, time-dependent, decreases in body weight without a reduction in food and water intake. Body composition analysis showed that loss of body weight could be attributed entirely to the loss of body fat. Loss of adipose tissue may have been due to the lipolytic effect of ZAG coupled with an increase in energy expenditure, since there was a dose-dependent increase in expression of uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) in brown adipose tissue. These results suggest that ZAG may be effective in the treatment of obesity.     

Induction of lipolysis in vitro and loss of body fat in vivo by zinc-α2-glycoprotein

Loss of adipose tissue in cancer cachexia has been associated with tumour production of a lipid-mobilizing factor (LMF) which has been shown to be homologous with the plasma protein zinc-α₂-glycoprotein (ZAG). The aim of this study was to compare the ability of human ZAG with LMF to stimulate lipolysis in vitro and induce loss of body fat in vivo, and to determine the mechanisms involved. ZAG was purified from human plasma using a combination of Q Sepharose and Superdex 75 chromatography, and was shown to stimulate glycerol release from isolated murine epididymal adipocytes in a dose-dependent manner. The effect was enhanced by the cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor Ro20-1724, and attenuated by freeze/thawing and the specific β3-adrenoreceptor antagonist SR59230A. In vivo ZAG caused highly significant, time-dependent, decreases in body weight without a reduction in food and water intake. Body composition analysis showed that loss of body weight could be attributed entirely to the loss of body fat. Loss of adipose tissue may have been due to the lipolytic effect of ZAG coupled with an increase in energy expenditure, since there was a dose-dependent increase in expression of uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) in brown adipose tissue. These results suggest that ZAG may be effective in the treatment of obesity.     

Gene deletion reveals roles for annexin A1 in the regulation of lipolysis and IL-6 release in epididymal adipose tissue

In this study, epididymal adipose tissue from male annexin 1 (ANXA1)-null and wild-type control mice were used to explore the potential role of ANXA1 in adipocyte biology. ANXA1 was detected by Western blot analysis in wild-type tissue and localized predominantly to the stromal-vascular compartment. Epididymal fat pad mass was reduced by ANXA1 gene deletion, but adipocyte size was unchanged, suggesting that ANXA1 is required for the maintenance of adipocyte and/or preadipocyte cell number. Epididymal tissue from wild-type mice responded in vitro to noradrenaline and isoprenaline with increased glycerol release, reduced IL-6 release, and increased cAMP accumulation. Qualitatively similar but significantly attenuated responses to the catecholamines were observed in tissue from ANXA1-null mice, an effect that was not associated with changes in beta-adrenoceptor mRNA expression. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) also stimulated lipolysis in vitro, but its effects were muted by ANXA1 gene deletion. By contrast, LPS failed to influence IL-6 release from wild-type tissue but stimulated the release of the cytokine from tissue from ANXA1-null mice. ANXA1 gene deletion did not affect glucocorticoid receptor expression or the ability of dexamethasone to suppress catecholamine-induced lipolysis. It did, however, augment IL-6 expression and modify the inhibitory effects of glucocorticoids on IL-6 release. Collectively, these studies suggest that ANXA1 supports aspects of adipose tissue mass and alters the sensitivity of epididymal adipose tissue to catecholamines, glucocorticoids, and LPS, thereby modulating lipolysis and IL-6 release.     

Weight loss in tumour-bearing mice is not associated with changes in resistin gene expression in white adipose tissue.

Resistin, a product of white adipose tissue, is postulated to induce insulin resistance in obesity and regulate adipocyte differentiation. The aim of this study was to examine resistin gene expression in adipose tissue from mice bearing the MAC16 adenocarcinoma, which induces cancer cachexia with marked wasting of adipose tissue and skeletal muscle mass. MAC16-bearing mice lost weight progressively over the period following tumour transplantation, while the weight of control mice remained stable. Leptin mRNA in gonadal fat was 50 % lower in MAC16 mice than in controls (p < 0.05). Plasma insulin concentrations were also significantly lower in the MAC16 group (p < 0.05). However, resistin mRNA level in gonadal fat in MAC16 mice was similar to controls (94 % of controls). Thus, despite severe weight loss and significant falls in leptin expression and insulin concentration, resistin gene expression appears unchanged in white adipose tissue of mice with MAC16 tumour. Maintenance of resistin production may help inhibit the formation of new adipocytes in cancer cachexia.     

Increased 4-Hydroxynonenal Formation Contributes to Obesity-Related Lipolytic Activation in Adipocytes

Oxidative stress in adipose tissue plays an etiological role in a variety of obesity-related metabolic disorders. We previously reported that increased adipose tissue 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) contents contributed to obesity-related plasma adiponectin decline in mice. In the present study, we investigated the effects of intracellular 4-HNE accumulation on lipolytic response in adipocytes/adipose tissues and underlying mechanisms. In both fully-differentiated 3T3-L1 and primary adipocytes, a 5-hour 4-HNE exposure elevated lipolytic reaction in a dose-dependent manner at both basal and isoproterenol-stimulated conditions, evidenced by significantly increased glycerol and fatty acids releases. This conclusion was corroborated by the comparable observations when the minced human visceral adipose tissues were used. Mechanistic investigations revealed that 4-HNE-stimulated lipolytic activation is multifactorial. 4-HNE exposure quickly increased intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) level, which was concomitant with increased phosphorylations of protein kinase A (PKA) and its direct downstream target, hormone sensitive lipase (HSL). Pre-incubation with H89, a potent PKA inhibitor, prevented 4-HNE stimulated glycerol release, suggesting that enhanced lipolytic action in response to 4-HNE increase is mediated mainly by cAMP/PKA signal pathway in adipocytes. In addition to activating cAMP/PKA/HSL pathway, 4-HNE exposure also suppresses AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a suppressive pathway for lipolysis, measured by both Western blotting for phosphorylated form of AMPK and ELISA for enzyme activity. Furthermore, 5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide 1-beta-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR), a pharmacological AMPK activator, alleviated 4-HNE-induced lipolysis, suggesting that AMPK suppression also contributes to 4-HNE elicited lipolytic response. In conclusion, our findings indicate that increased intracellular 4-HNE accumulation in adipocytes/adipose tissues contributes to obesity-related lipolytic activation.     

Extracellular vesicles-released parathyroid hormone-related protein from Lewis lung carcinoma induces lipolysis and adipose tissue browning in cancer cachexia

Cancer cachexia is a metabolic disorder characterized by skeletal muscle wasting and white adipose tissue browning. Specific functions of several hormones, growth factors, and cytokines derived from tumors can trigger cachexia. Moreover, adipose tissue lipolysis might explain weight loss that occurs owing to cachexia. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are involved in intercellular communication. However, whether EVs participate in lipolysis induced by cancer cachexia has not been thoroughly investigated. Using Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cell culture, we tested whether LLC cell-derived EVs can induce lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. EVs derived from LLC cells were isolated and characterized biochemically and biophysically. Western blotting and glycerol assay were used to study lipolysis. LLC cell-derived EVs induced lipolysis in vivo and vitro. EVs fused directly with target 3T3-L1 adipocytes and transferred parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP), activating the PKA signaling pathway in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Blocking PTHrP activity in LLC-EVs using a neutralizing antibody and by knocking down PTHR expression prevented lipolysis in adipocytes. Inhibiting the PKA signaling pathway also prevents the lipolytic effects of EVs. In vivo, suppression of LLC-EVs release by knocking down Rab27A alleviated white adipose tissue browning and lipolysis. Our data showed that LLC cell-derived EVs induced adipocyte lipolysis via the extracellular PTHrP-mediated PKA pathway. Our data demonstrate that LLC-EVs induce lipolysis in vitro and vivo by delivering PTHrP, which interacts with PTHR. The lipolytic effect of LLC-EVs was abrogated by PTHR knockdown and treatment with a neutralizing anti-PTHrP antibody. Together, these data show that LLC-EV-induced lipolysis is mediated by extracellular PTHrP. These findings suggest a novel mechanism of lipid droplet loss and identify a potential therapeutic strategy for cancer cachexia.Subject terms: Oncogenes, Mechanisms of disease     

Overexpression of leptin in transgenic mice leads to decreased basal lipolysis, PKA activity, and perilipin levels

Transgenic mice overexpressing leptin (LepTg) exhibit substantial reductions in adipose mass. Since the binding of leptin to its receptor activates the sympathetic nervous system, we reasoned that the lean state of the LepTg mice could be caused by chronic lipolysis. Instead, the LepTg mice exhibited a low basal lipolysis state and their lean phenotype was not dependent on the presence of beta3-adrenergic receptors. In their white adipose tissue, protein levels of protein kinase A, hormone-sensitive lipase, and ADRP were not impaired. However, compared to normal mice, perilipin, perilipin mRNA, and cAMP-stimulated PKA activity were significantly attenuated. Overall, we demonstrate that the lean phenotype of the LepTg mice does not result in a chronically elevated lipolytic state, but instead in a low basal lipolysis state characterized by a decrease in perilipin and PKA activity in white fat.     

Lipolytic activity in adipose tissue of mice bearing Ehrlich ascites carcinoma.

The hormonal background of lipid mobilization in mice bearing Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT) was investigated. Glycerol production rates were measured in adipose tissues from healthy and tumor-bearing (TB) animals being in early and late stages of tumor growth. The basal rate of lipolysis was enhanced significantly in the epididymal fat pads from mice with EAT. The catecholamine- and theophylline-stimulated activity was also higher in the tumorous animals, and the hormone-stimulated lipolysis was more effectively repressed by insulin and propranolol in adipose tissue from TB mice, compared to healthy ones. Susceptibility of adipose tissues to hormonal manipulations suggested that an imbalance in the concentration of lipolytic and antilipolytic hormones in the blood might promote the lipid depletion in the TB host organism. The low glucose and insulin concentrations and high catecholamine levels found in the sera of the tumorous animals seem to support this conception.     

Effects of Dexamethasone on Primarily Cultured Newly Differentiated Rat Adipocytes from Different Adipose Tissue Regions

The effects of dexamethasone (dex) on newly differentiated adipocytes in primary culture derived from mesenteric, retroperitoneal, epididymal, and inguinal subcutaneous adipose tissues of male rats were studied. The degree of differentiation was similar in these adipose precursor cells derived from different regions as assessed by lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity, an early marker of adipocyte differentiation. LPL activity was increased by addition of dex, and no differences in degree of activation were observed in cells from different adipose tissue regions. Development of both basal and isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis was also similar in adipose precursor cells from different adipose tissue regions. Dex addition enhanced the isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis with no regional differences. Studies of binding of [³H]-dex showed no regional differences in either binding affinity or maximal binding capacity. It is concluded that dex stimulates both LPL activity and lipolytic activity in newly differentiated rat adipocytes in primary culture. This seems, however, not to vary in magnitude in cells obtained from different adipose tissue regions. This might be due to the apparent similarity of number and affinity of glucocorticoid binding sites. Regional variations in glucocorticoid regulated LPL and lipolytic activity in adipose tissue might therefore not be due to inherent differences between adipocytes.     

Angiopoietin-like 4 (Angptl4) protein is a physiological mediator of intracellular lipolysis in murine adipocytes

Intracellular triacylglycerol (TG) hydrolysis and fatty acid release by the white adipose tissue (WAT) during a fast is stimulated by counter-regulatory factors acting in concert, although how adipocytes integrate these lipolytic inputs is unknown. We tested the role of angiopoietin-like 4 (Angptl4), a secreted protein induced by fasting or glucocorticoid treatment, in modulating intracellular adipocyte lipolysis. Glucocorticoid receptor blockade prevented fasting-induced tissue Angptl4 expression and WAT TG hydrolysis in mice, and TG hydrolysis induced by fasts of 6 or 24 h was greatly reduced in mice lacking Angptl4 (Angptl4(-/-)). Glucocorticoid treatment mimicked the lipolytic effects of fasting, although with slower kinetics, and this too required Angptl4. Thus, fasting-induced WAT TG hydrolysis requires glucocorticoid action and Angptl4. Both fasting and glucocorticoid treatment also increased WAT cAMP levels and downstream phosphorylation of lipolytic enzymes. Angptl4 deficiency markedly reduced these effects, suggesting that Angptl4 may stimulate lipolysis by modulating cAMP-dependent signaling. In support of this, cAMP levels and TG hydrolysis were reduced in primary Angptl4(-/-) murine adipocytes treated with catecholamines, which stimulate cAMP-dependent signaling to promote lipolysis, and was restored by treatment with purified human ANGPTL4. Remarkably, human ANGPTL4 treatment alone increased cAMP levels and induced lipolysis in these cells. Pharmacologic agents revealed that Angptl4 modulation of cAMP-dependent signaling occurs upstream of adenylate cyclase and downstream of receptor activation. We show that Angptl4 is a glucocorticoid-responsive mediator of fasting-induced intracellular lipolysis and stimulates cAMP signaling in adipocytes. Such a role is relevant to diseases of aberrant lipolysis, such as insulin resistance.     

Inducible nitric oxide synthase modulates lipolysis in adipocytes

The role of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the modulation of adipocyte lipolysis was investigated. Treatment of white and brown adipose cell lines and mouse adipose explants with a mixture of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interferon-gamma, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) doubled the lipolytic rate, and this was associated with marked induction of iNOS expression and nitric oxide (NO) production. iNOS inhibition by 1400W, aminoguanidine, or L-NIL pretreatment further increased the cytokine/LPS-mediated lipolysis by 30% (P < 0.05) in cultured adipocytes and in adipose explants. However, this potentiating effect of iNOS inhibition was abolished in adipose explants isolated from iNOS knockout mice. Pharmacological inhibitors of adenylyl cyclase or protein kinase A reduced cytokine/LPS-induced lipolysis and also blunted the potentiating effect of iNOS inhibition on the lipolytic rate. Furthermore, addition of the antioxidants l-cystine and l-glutathione to cytokine/LPS-stimulated adipocytes mimicked the lipolytic effect of iNOS inhibition. In conclusion, inhibition of iNOS activity in adipocytes potentiates cytokine/LPS-induced lipolysis. This effect was fully reversed by adenylyl cyclase and protein kinase A inhibitors but was mimicked by cellular antioxidants. These data suggest that iNOS-mediated NO production counteracts cytokine/LPS-mediated lipolysis in adipocytes and that this feedback mechanism involves an oxidative process upstream of cAMP production in the signaling pathway.     

Natriuretic peptides: a new lipolytic pathway in human adipocytes.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) receptors have been described on rodent adipocytes and expression of their mRNA is found in human adipose tissue. However, no biological effects associated with the stimulation of these receptors have been reported in this tissue. A putative lipolytic effect of natriuretic peptides was investigated in human adipose tissue. On isolated fat cells, ANP and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) stimulated lipolysis as much as isoproterenol, a nonselective beta-adrenergic receptor agonist, whereas C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) had the lowest lipolytic effect. In situ microdialysis experiments confirmed the potent lipolytic effect of ANP in abdominal s.c. adipose tissue of healthy subjects. A high level of ANP binding sites was identified in human adipocytes. The potency order defined in lipolysis (ANP > BNP > CNP) and the ANP-induced cGMP production sustained the presence of type A natriuretic peptide receptor in human fat cells. Activation or inhibition of cGMP-inhibited phosphodiesterase (PDE-3B) (using insulin and OPC 3911, respectively) did not modify ANP-induced lipolysis whereas the isoproterenol effect was decreased or increased. Moreover, inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity (using a mixture of alpha(2)-adrenergic and adenosine A1 agonists receptors) did not change ANP- but suppressed isoproterenol-induced lipolysis. The noninvolvement of the PDE-3B was finally confirmed by measuring its activity under ANP stimulation. Thus, we demonstrate that natriuretic peptides are a new pathway controlling human adipose tissue lipolysis operating via a cGMP-dependent pathway that does not involve PDE-3B inhibition and cAMP production.     

Inhibition of growth hormone-induced lipolysis by 3',5'-guanosine monophosphate in chicken adipose tissue in vitro

The influence of cyclic 3',5'-guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) on the lipolytic and antilipolytic (inhibition of glucagon-stimulated lipolysis) responses to GH (1 microgram/ml) was examined in chicken adipose tissue in vitro. Both 8-bromo-cGMP (0.1 mM) and sodium nitroprusside (1 mM) (a guanyl cyclase stimulator) completely inhibited the lipolytic effect of GH. A cGMP-lowering agent, LY83583 (10 microM), reversed the inhibitory effect of sodium nitroprusside on GH-stimulated lipolysis. Furthermore, the suppressive effects of insulin (100 ng/ml), insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) (100 ng/ml), or insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II/MSA) (100 ng/ml), but not somatostatin (1 ng/ml), on GH-stimulated lipolysis were prevented by LY83583 addition. Neither 8-bromo-cGMP, sodium nitroprusside, nor LY83583 altered GH-induced inhibition of glucagon (1 ng/ml)-stimulated lipolysis. It is proposed that cGMP may mediate inhibitory control of GH-stimulated lipolysis by insulin, IGF-I, and IGF-II in chicken adipose tissue.     

Insulin inhibits lipolytic activity and degradation of beta-lipotropin in rabbit adipose tissue

beta-Lipotropin, a pituitary peptide, is a potent stimulator of lipolysis in rabbit adipose tissue in vitro and in vivo. Insulin inhibited the beta-lipotropin (1-100 nM)-stimulated glycerol release from rabbit adipocytes and fat pads significantly at concentrations of 10 and 100 microM. Both these concentrations of insulin also decreased the degradation of beta-lipotropin in intact adipose tissue to the same extent as the lipolytic activity. Furthermore, insulin reduced the degradation of beta-lipotropin in rabbit adipose tissue homogenate. Like insulin, several lysosomotropic agents also decreased significantly the degradation and the lipolytic activity of beta-lipotropin. On the other hand, insulin-like growth factor I in lower concentrations (1-100 nM) did not effect degradation and lipolytic activity of beta-lipotropin in rabbit adipose tissue. Thus, a direct influence of insulin on lysosomal enzymes degrading beta-lipotropin in rabbit adipose tissue can be suggested.     

Lipolytic response of fat cells to catecholamines in sedentary and exercise-trained women

It has been shown that adipose tissue lipolytic activity is increased in endurance-trained subjects. In women, adipose tissue is extensive and it was thought interesting to confirm that endurance training increases the capacity of female adipose tissue to mobilize lipids, and moreover to more fully understand the mechanisms involved. So, biopsies of fat were obtained from the periumbilical region of 13 trained female runners (T) and 17 sedentary women (S) and the in vitro response to catecholamines of the collagenase-isolated fat cells was studied. Glycerol release, chosen as adipocyte lipolysis indicator, was measured by bioluminescence for various epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations. In both groups, these substances provoked an increase in lipolysis, but the response was significantly higher in T. In both groups, isoproterenol increased the lipolytic activity above basal concentrations at 10(-8) M and above. Lipolytic activity in T was significantly higher (P less than 0.01) than the S control at 10(-7) M and above. Epinephrine plus propranolol decreased lipolysis in both groups, but at 10(-5) M, lipolytic activity was significantly lower in S than in T (P less than 0.05). It is concluded that in female subjects, endurance training increases the sensitivity of subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue to the lipolytic action of catecholamines; this effect seems to be related both to a decreased efficiency of the alpha 2-adrenergic pathway and to an increased efficiency of the beta-adrenergic pathway. This latter effect seems to take place at a step beyond the receptor-adenylate cyclase system in the lipolytic cascade.     

Indirect evidence against a contribution of the guanine nucleotide-binding inhibitory component of adenylate cyclase to impaired lipolysis in the epididymal adipose tissue of congenitally obese (ob/ob) mice

The mixed adrenergic agonist epinephrine, at a 10 microM concentration, stimulated cyclic AMP production and glycerol release in the epididymal adipose tissue of ob/ob male mice. These effects when tested, respectively, after 7 min in the presence and after 60 min in the absence of theophylline were, however, 7- and 5-fold lower than in lean controls. The alpha-adrenergic blocker phentolamine and adenosine deaminase (which destroys extracellular adenosine) did not restore a normal lipolytic response to epinephrine in the adipose tissue of ob/ob mice. These data provide indirect evidence against a hyperactive mechanism in the coupling of alpha-adrenergic receptors and adenosine receptors to Ni, the guanine nucleotide-binding inhibitory component of adenylate cyclase, as the cause of reduced lipolysis in the adipose tissue of ob/ob mice.     

Zinc-alpha 2-glycoprotein gene expression in adipose tissue is related with insulin resistance and lipolytic genes in morbidly obese patients

Objective

Zinc-α₂ glycoprotein (ZAG) stimulates lipid loss by adipocytes and may be involved in the regulation of adipose tissue metabolism. However, to date no studies have been made in the most extreme of obesity. The aims of this study are to analyze ZAG expression levels in adipose tissue from morbidly obese patients, and their relationship with lipogenic and lipolytic genes and with insulin resistance (IR).

Methods

mRNA expression levels of PPARγ, IRS-1, IRS-2, lipogenic and lipolytic genes and ZAG were quantified in visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of 25 nondiabetic morbidly obese patients, 11 with low IR and 14 with high IR. Plasma ZAG was also analyzed.

Results

The morbidly obese patients with low IR had a higher VAT ZAG expression as compared with the patients with high IR (p = 0.023). In the patients with low IR, the VAT ZAG expression was greater than that in SAT (p = 0.009). ZAG expression correlated between SAT and VAT (r = 0.709, p<0.001). VAT ZAG expression was mainly predicted by insulin, HOMA-IR, plasma adiponectin and expression of adiponectin and ACSS2. SAT ZAG expression was only predicted by expression of ATGL.

Conclusions

ZAG could be involved in modulating lipid metabolism in adipose tissue and is associated with insulin resistance. These findings suggest that ZAG may be a useful target in obesity and related disorders, such as diabetes.     

Zinc-alpha2-glycoprotein, a lipid mobilizing factor, is expressed and secreted by human (SGBS) adipocytes

Zinc-alpha2-glycoprotein (ZAG), a lipid mobilizing factor, is expressed in mouse adipose tissue and is markedly upregulated in mice with cancer cachexia. We have explored whether ZAG is expressed and secreted by human adipocytes, using SGBS cells, and examined the regulation of ZAG expression. ZAG mRNA was detected by RT-PCR in mature human adipocytes and in SGBS cells post-, but not pre-, differentiation to adipocytes. Relative ZAG mRNA levels increased rapidly after differentiation of SGBS cells, peaking at day 8 post-induction. ZAG protein was evident in differentiated adipocytes (by day 3) and also detected in the culture medium (by day 6) post-induction. The PPARgamma agonist rosiglitazone induced a 3-fold increase in ZAG mRNA level, while TNF-alpha led to a 4-fold decrease. Human adipocytes express and secrete ZAG, with ZAG expression being regulated particularly through TNF-alpha and the PPARgamma nuclear receptor. ZAG is a novel adipokine, which may be involved in the local regulation of adipose tissue function.     

In vitro lipolytic effect of bovine pituitary diabetogenic protein.

Bovine diabetogenic protein has been further purified by gel filtration yielding a fraction (Mr 25 000--28 000) having increased diabetogenic and in vitro lipolytic activity. Using rat epididymal fat pads, this fraction was shown to be lipolytic at concentrations as low as 1--10 mug/ml. The in vitro lipolytic effect was unaffected by the nutritional state of the animals, was not potentiated by dexamethasone, could be demonstrated in the presence and absence of glucose and was not mediated by alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptors. A lag phase of greater than 1 h was observed before diabetogenic protein induced lipolysis occurred, suggesting that protein synthesis might be involved. Cycloheximide (10 mug/ml), added initially, prevented the diabetogenic protein-induced lipolysis. This direct effect of the purified protein on adipose tissue helps explain the elevation of free fatty acids seen when bovine diabetogenic hormone is administered in vivo and suggests that this anterior pituitary protein may be a new lipid-mobilizing hormone.