Preadipocyte Screening by Laminin in Porcine Stromal Vascular Cell Cultures

Objective : To determine if subpopulations of cells in stromal vascular (S-V) cultures could be segregated and separated based on affinity for laminin substratum. Research Methods and Procedures : S-V cells were seeded and allowed to attach for various times; 4 hours was found to be optimal for cell attachment. Cultures were rinsed after 4 hours of seeding, and S-V cells were divided into three subpopulations based on affinity for laminin: (1) cells that did not attach to laminin; (2) cells that had a low affinity for laminin; and (3) cells that had a high affinity for laminin. After 24 hours, cultures were either stained for the AD-3 antigen (a marker for preadipocytes), C/EBP-α (a terminal differentiation marker), or C/EBP-8 (an early preadipocyte marker). Companion cultures were treated with various media for 9 days and stained with oil red-O. Results : Cells with a high affinity for laminin had the highest proportion of AD-3 and C/EBP-α positive cells and the highest proportion of fat cells after treatment with insulin ± dexamethasone. Cells with a low affinity for laminin had the1 highest proportion of C/EBP-8 cells and the highest proportion of fat cells after treatment with fetal bovine serum+dexamethasone, followed by insulin. Discussion : These results indicate that differentiating preadipocytes adhere to laminin to a much greater degree than do non-preadipocytes. Therefore, laminin-coated dishes can be used to screen S-V cells to produce preadipocyte or fibroblast-enriched S-V cultures.     

Hormonal Regulation of Leptin mRNA Expression and Preadipocyte Recruitment and Differentiation in Porcine Primary Cultures of S-V Cells

The hormonal regulation of leptin mRNA expression and the association between leptin expression and adipocyte differentiation were examined in primary cultures of porcine S-V cells with Northern blot and immunocytochemical analysis. Seeding for 3 days with fetal bovine serum (FBS) with varying levels of dexamethasone (Dex) increased levels of leptin mRNA in a dosedependent manner in parallel with increases in the proportion of preadipocytes (AD-3 positive cells; AD-3, a preadipocyte marker). Six-day treatment with 10 or 850 nM insulin after FBS+Dex treatment resulted in a similar increase in leptin mRNA expression and morphological differentiation. However, significantly lower levels of leptin mRNA and smaller fat cells were observed in cultures treated with 1 nM insulin or 10 nM insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). Dex-induced increases in leptin mRNA levels and AD-3 cell numbers were blocked completely by the addition of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) to FBS+Dex-treated cultures. However TGF-β significantly increased fat cell size and leptin mRNA expression when added to ITS (insulin, 850 nM; transferrin, 5 μg/ml; and selenium, 5 ug/mL) treated cultures during the lipid-filling stage. When added with FBS+DEX for the first 3 days, growth hormone (GH) did not influence the Dex-induced increase in AD-3 cells and leptin mRNA expression, but GH reduced leptin mRNA levels when added with insulin for 6 days after FBS+Dex. These results demonstrated that regulation of leptin mRNA expression by Dex, insulin, IGF-I, TGF-β, and GH may be associated with changes in preadipocyte number and fat cell size.     

Role of Phosphotyrosine Interaction Domain Containing 1 in Porcine Intramuscular Preadipocyte Proliferation and Differentiation

Phosphotyrosine interaction domain containing 1 (PID1), a recently identified gene involved in obesity-associated insulin resistance, plays an important role in fat deposition. However, its effect on porcine intramuscular preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation remains poorly understood. In this study, the plasmid pcDNA3.1(+)-pPID1 was transfected into porcine intramuscular preadipocytes with Lipofectamine 3000 reagent to over-express porcine PID1 (pPID1). Over-expression of pPID1 significantly promoted porcine intramuscular preadipocyte proliferation. Expression of pPID1 mRNA was significantly increased upon porcine intramuscular preadipocyte differentiation. Indirect fluorescent immunocytochemistry demonstrated that pPID1 protein was localized predominantly in the nucleus of porcine intramuscular preadipocyte. The mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor γ, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α and lipoprotein lipase were significantly increased by pPID1 over-expression. Over-expression of pPID1 also led to an increase in lipid accumulation which was detected by Oil Red O staining, and significantly increased the intramuscular triacylglycerol content. These results indicate that pPID1 may play a role in enhancing porcine intramuscular preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation.     

猪前体脂肪细胞的分离培养

在比较组织块法和消化法分离培养猪前体脂肪细胞的基础上,通过对前体脂肪细胞增殖与分化过程中细胞的形态学变化、生长曲线、油红O染色以及脂肪细胞特异性标志基因脂蛋白脂酶（lipoprotein lipase,LPL）和过氧化物体增殖剂活化受体γ（peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor γ,PPARγ）表达的研究,证明用消化法可从猪的脂肪组织中分离获得大量的前体脂肪细胞,其生长旺盛,可见自发充脂;传代细胞经诱导培养后,充脂率大幅度提高,脂肪特异性标志基因表达增强。这为深入研究脂肪细胞增殖与分化以及猪体脂肪沉积提供了一个较好的模型。     

Influence of Thyroxine In Vivo on Preadipocyte Development and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I and IGF Binding Protein Secretion in Fetal Stromal Vascular Cell Cultures

Studies were conducted to determine the influence of thyroxine (T₄) in vivo on preadipocyte development and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) secretion in stromal-vas-cular (S-V) cultures. Fetal pigs were hypophysectomized (hypox) at 70 days of gestation, implanted with T₄ pellets, and fetuses from the dam at 75 days of gestation. In a second experiment, hypox and T₄ implantation were performed at 75 days and fetal pigs removed at 95 days of gestation. Primary cultures of stromal vascular (S-V) cells derived from fetal adipose tissue were established. Cultures were stained for morphological analysis and conditioned media were collected for IGF-I determination by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and IGFBP analysis by Western blotting. After only 5 days of T₄ treatment, fat cell cluster number and size and lipid deposition in cultures were significantly increased compared to cultures from untreated hypox fetuses. Fetal hypox reduced IGF-I secretion by preadipocytes at both ages and T₄ treatment completely normalized IGF-I secretion (p < 0.05). Four IGFBPs (BP-1, BP-2, BP-3 & BP-4) detected in S-V cultures derived from 95-day fetuses were decreased in concentration by hypox by 44 ± 9.4%, 32 ± 9.7%, 42 ± 12% and 53 ± 6.9%. In cultures derived from T₄ treated hypox fetuses, the levels of these four IGFBPs were increased by 187 ± 25%, 239 ± 38%, 190 ± 5% and 347 ± 43% over control values, respectively. In cultures from 75-day fetuses, only IGFBP-2 (major one) and BP-1 (minor one) were detected and their secretion was also decreased by hypox and elevated by T₄ treatment (190 ± 49.5%, 156 ± 30%, respectively, of controls). The results provide direct evidence that T₄ has a major influence on fetal preadipocyte development. T₄ stimulated production of IGF-I and IGFBP in fetal S-V cultures, which in turn, may have mediated the capability of T₄ to enhance fetal adipose tissue development.     

Adipocyte Development is Dependent Upon Stem Cell Recruitment and Proliferation of Preadipocytes

KRAS, KRYSTYNA M., DOROTHY B. HAUSMAN, GARY J. HAUSMAN, AND ROY J. MARTIN. Adipocyte development is dependent upon stem cell recruitment and proliferation of preadipocytes. Obes Res. Objectives: The ability to acquire fat cells persists over the life spans of animals. It is unknown whether adipocyte acquisition is the result of preadipocyte proliferation or stem cell recruitment to become adipocytes. The purposes of these studies were 1) to characterize early differentiation of stromal vascular (S-V) cells to preadipocytes as it is influenced by insulin, dexamethasone (DEX), and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I); and 2) to determine whether new fat cells arise from stem cell recruitment or preadipocyte proliferation. Research Methods and Procedures: Freshly isolated S-V cells from rat inguinal adipose tissues were plated for 24 hours then exposed to serum-free medium. Results: Approximately 15% of freshly plated S-V cells were preadipocytes as determined by a preadipocyte specific marker, AD3. Total cell number and proportion of preadipocytes were significantly greater with 100 nM insulin treatment than with 0, 0. 1, or 1. 0 nM, but IGF-I treatment at 10 nM resulted in preadipocyte development similar to that with 100 nM insulin treatment. The addition of 5 nM DEX to the 100 nM insulin treatment resulted in a 20% increase in preadipocyte number by day 2 when compared to either treatment alone. 5-Bromo-2′-deoxyuridine treatment suppressed the increased proportion of preadipocytes from days 0–2 in non-insulin treated cells and prevented the increase typically observed with insulin. A mitosis inhibitor also significantly reduced the proportion of preadipocytes. Discussion: These results show for the first time that S-V cells are recruited as preadipocytes and that proliferation of these preadipocytes and early differentiation occur simultaneously.     

MiR-130a 在猪皮下脂肪细胞分化中的调节作用

为研究miR-130a对猪皮下脂肪细胞分化的影响及可能机制,本试验分离猪皮下脂肪前体细胞,诱导分化为成熟脂肪细胞,检测脂肪细胞分化过程中脂滴变化及miR-130a及其可能靶基因TNF α和PPARγ的表达模式.同时合成miR-130a mimics及inhibitor 对细胞进行转染,并以乱序序列作为阴性对照（NC）.细胞转染24 h后进行诱导分化,连续诱导8 d,检测各处理细胞的聚脂情况及甘油三酯含量变化,荧光定量PCR检测脂肪细胞分化相关基因的表达变化.结果显示,猪皮下脂肪前体细胞分化过程中脂滴逐渐变大增多,miR-130a、TNF α和PPARγ的表达模式具有一定的相似性.转染结果显示,相对于对照组,miR 130a mimics转染组细胞脂滴减少变小,甘油三酯含量降低（P<0.05）,脂肪细胞分化相关基因LPL、PPARγ、adiponectin、FASN和葡萄糖转运相关基因GLUT1,GLUT4以及JNK通路上的PDE3B的表达均比对照组显著下调（P<0.01）;而miR-130a inhibitor转染组细胞则脂滴增多,甘油三酯含量提高（P<0.05）,但大部分分化相关基因的表达与对照组无显著差异,提示miR-130a可能不只通过单一的靶基因影响脂肪细胞分化.其结果为后续深入研究miR-130a调节猪脂肪细胞分化的通路及机制奠定基础.     

脂肪细胞因子对脂肪细胞增殖分化的反馈调节作用

肥胖已被证实是胰岛素抵抗、2 型糖尿病、高血压、高脂血症及冠状动脉粥样硬化性心脏病等代谢性疾病发生的重要诱因.肥胖的发生主要是由于体内脂肪细胞的异常分化和增殖,最终导致脂肪细胞异常增多及细胞内脂质过度沉积产生的.脂肪细胞的增殖分化受到多种因素的调控,其中脂肪细胞因子作为脂肪组织分泌的肽类激素,也在脂肪细胞的发育分化过程中起重要的反馈调节作用.大多数肥胖患者体内存在脂肪细胞因子分泌异常及其相应的功能紊乱.本文将对几种主要的脂肪细胞因子在脂肪细胞发育分化中的作用及最新研究进展进行简要综述及讨论.     

Txnip基因siRNA慢病毒表达质粒构建及促进猪前体脂肪细胞分化

硫氧还蛋白互作蛋白(thioredoxin interacting protein, Txnip)是一种氧化还原调节蛋白质,与硫氧还蛋白结合并抑制其活性,调节细胞氧化还原状态,影响细胞多种生理过程,然而其在猪脂肪细胞分化中的作用尚不明确。本文设计合成3对靶向猪Txnip基因的shRNA寡核苷酸,分别连接于重组慢病毒载体pGLV_3/H_1/GFP+Puro构建siRNA表达质粒。测序验证后,与包装质粒共转染293T细胞,获得滴度1×10~8 pfu/mL的慢病毒干扰质粒。以MOI值100转染原代培养猪前体脂肪细胞,转染率均达80%以上,其中Txnip-shRNA-2转染细胞Txnip基因沉默率达75%。转染Txnip-shRNA-2的猪前体脂肪细胞用成脂分化培养液诱导后,每隔1 d检测细胞成脂分化及相关基因表达。结果发现,其分化比阴性对照质粒转染或未转染细胞显著增强(P<0.05),PPARγ和FAS mRNA表达水平显著提高(P<0.05)。本文构建siRNA慢病毒表达质粒能有效干扰猪Txnip基因表达,Txnip表达沉默可通过上调PPARγ表达促进猪前体脂肪细胞分化。本研究提示,Txnip可能是猪脂肪细胞分化的抑制因子。     

Role of bta-miR-204 in the regulation of adipocyte proliferation,differentiation, and apoptosis

Adipocyte growth and development are complex and precisely orchestrated processes. Several microRNAs have been identified as critical regulators of the adipocyte growth and development. Recently, bta-miR-204 was found to be involved in adipogenesis; however, the underlying molecular mechanism involved in bta-miR-204-mediated regulation of proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of adipocytes is not fully understood or elucidated. In this study, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), Cell Counting Kit-8, EdU, flow cytometer, Oil Red O staining, and the western blot assays were used to assess the role of bta-miR-204 in adipocyte growth and development. Overexpression of bta-miR-204 had no significant effect on 3T3-L1 cell proliferation. The forced expression of bta-miR-204 promoted 3T3-L1 cell differentiation. Meanwhile, overexpression of bta-miR-204 upregulated the expression of Bax and downregulated the expression of Bcl-2 both at messenger RNA and protein levels, which suggested that bta-miR-204 can promote 3T3-L1 cell apoptosis. Using bioinformatic analysis, dual-luciferase reporter system and qRT-PCR, TGFBR2, and ELOVL6 were identified as the direct target genes of bta-miR-204. Therefore, our study provides a novel insight into the role of bta-miR-204 in the regulation of adipocyte growth and development, which may provide a novel therapeutic alternative against obesity.     

花生四烯酸对大鼠前体脂肪细胞生长与分化的影响(英文)

以大鼠前体脂肪细胞原代单层培养为模型,用不同浓度花生四烯酸(AA)处理细胞.通过台盼蓝排斥试验及噻唑蓝比色法(MTT)反映各组细胞增殖状况;Hoechst33342荧光染色观察AA处理后细胞核形态变化;油红O染色提取法分析细胞分化程度;逆转录聚合酶链反应(RTPCR)分析环氧合酶2(COX2)mRNA表达情况,探讨外源性AA对大鼠前体脂肪细胞生长分化的影响及其可能机制.120μmolLAA处理前体脂肪细胞24～72h,细胞活力明显高于对照组;160μmolLAA作用48h时,前体脂肪细胞表现出明显的凋亡现象;脂肪细胞经40～80μmolLAA作用72h时,细胞油红O染色的吸光度值显著减少;40μmolLAA在作用的24h时,可显著上调COX2mRNA的表达量.说明外源性AA以时间性和剂量依赖性调节前体脂肪细胞的生长与分化,40～80μmolLAA在不显著增加脂肪数目的同时,可抑制前体脂肪细胞向成熟脂肪细胞转化、减少脂肪生成量,对控制动物体脂的形成有一定参考价值,COX2mRNA表达量的上升可能是AA抑制前体脂肪细胞分化的内在机制.     

Insulin but not IGF-I is required for the maintenance of the adipose phenotype in the adipogenic cell line 1246

Summary The mouse adipogenic cell line 1246 which possesses both insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) receptors was used to investigate the role of IGF-I and insulin on the proliferation of adipocyte precursors and their differentiation into mature adipocytes. Results indicate that both insulin and IGF-I stimulate the proliferation of the 1246 adipocyte precursors with IGF-I being slightly more potent than insulin. Dose-response studies indicated that both polypeptides acted at physiological concentrations corresponding to binding to their own receptors. In contrast, comparison of insulin and IGF-I capacity to stimulate terminal adipose differentiation indicated that only insulin was active when added at physiological concentrations. IGF-I could not stimulate adipocyte differentiation except at supraphysiological concentrations (100 ng/ml and above) permitting its binding to the insulin receptors on 1246 cells. Time course study of expression of early and late markers of adipose differentiation indicated that the induction of markers such as adipose differentiation-related protein (ADRP), lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and fatty acid binding protein (FAB) took place even in the absence of insulin. However, the level of early and late differentiation markers decreased to a level below the one found in undifferentiated cells when cells had been maintained in the absence of insulin after differentiation had been initiated. These data indicate that although insulin is not necessary for the early onset of the adipose differentiation program, it is stringently required for the maintenance of the adipocyte phenotype and cannot be substituted by IGF-I.     

猪脂肪干细胞的特点及其应用

脂肪干细胞(adipose-derived stem cells,ADSCs)是从脂肪组织中分离得到的一种具有多元分化潜能的干细胞,且脂肪组织在人体内的储量丰富,取材简单。因此,人源脂肪干细胞(human adipose-derived stem cells,hADSCs)具有良好的应用前景,如干细胞治疗、再生以及药物研发等。然而,要将这些基础研究成果应用于临床,必须通过临床前的安全性、可行性和潜在的风险评估。而在实验动物中,猪与人类在解剖学、遗传学和生理学上非常相似,因此猪脂肪干细胞(porcine adiposederived stem cells,pADSCs)的相关研究对人脂肪干细胞走向临床应用具有重要的理论及实践意义。基于猪脂肪干细胞的重要作用,本文综述了猪脂肪干细胞的分离、培养、免疫表型、分化能力及应用前景。     

CTSB超表达促进体外培养的猪前体脂肪细胞分化

为研究溶酶体组织蛋白酶B(cathepsin B,CTSB)对脂肪细胞分化的影响,本实验构建了Ctsb重组腺病毒超表达载体,包装并侵染体外培养的猪前体脂肪细胞,采用油红O染色,油红O提取比色法检测猪前体脂肪细胞分化的情况,并通过real-time PCR法检测成脂关键基因mRNA水平的变化.结果显示,重组腺病毒Ctsb载体构建成功,转染猪前体脂肪细胞后,使Ctsb的mRNA和蛋白质表达量分别提高了约16倍和12倍. CTSB超表达能促进脂肪细胞的分化和脂质积累,成脂关键基因过氧化物酶体增殖物激活受体γ(peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, PPARγ)、脂肪酸结合蛋白2(adipocyte protein 2, aP2)的表达量均有显著升高. 研究表明,提高Ctsb的表达能促进猪前体脂肪细胞分化,揭示了Ctsb在猪前体脂肪细胞分化过程中可能发挥关键作用. 研究结果为进一步研究其作用机制奠定了基础.     

白藜芦醇对猪原代前体脂肪细胞的增殖与分化及Sirt1基因转录表达时序的影响

分别以0μmol/L(对照组)、10μmol/L(低剂量组),20μmol/L(中等剂量组),50μmol/L,100μmol/L(高剂量组)的白藜芦醇(Resveratrol,RES)处理体外培养1~3日龄健康仔猪前体脂肪细胞,采用MTT比色法检测细胞活性及增殖状况;油红O染色化学比色法定量分析细胞内脂肪生成及细胞分化程度;RT-PCR法分析Sirt1(sirtuin1)mRNA表达情况,探讨Sirt1对猪前体脂肪细胞增殖分化的影响及其分子机制。结果表明,脂肪细胞经RES处理后,各组MTT和油红O染色测得的光密度值(OD值)均低于对照组,50μmol/L,100μmol/L组在96~120h作用极显著(P<0.01),与中低剂量组差异显著(P<0.05);以20μmol/L,100μmol/LRES处理细胞后,Sirt1mRNA表达量随细胞分化的进行而逐渐升高,100μmol/L组均显著高于对照组和20μmol/L组(P<0.05)。RES对猪前体脂肪细胞增殖分化均有一定抑制作用,高剂量RES(50μmol/L和100μmol/L)可显著减少细胞内脂肪的合成、抑制脂肪细胞增殖与分化,Sirt1mRNA表达量显著升高可能是RES抑制细胞分化的重要原因之一。     

Establishment and characteristics of porcine preadipocyte cell lines derived from mature adipocytes

Development of established preadipocyte cell lines, such as 3T3‐L1 and 3T3‐F442A, greatly facilitated the study of molecular mechanisms of adipocyte differentiation under defined conditions. Most of these cell lines are derived from mouse embryos, and preadipocyte cell lines of other species have not yet been maintained in culture long enough to study differentiation under a variety of conditions. This is the first report on the establishment of porcine preadipocyte cell lines derived from mature adipocytes by a simple method, known as ceiling culture, for culturing mature adipocytes in vitro. This cell line can proliferate extensively until the cells become confluent and fully differentiated into mature adipocytes, depending on adipogenic induction. No changes in their differentiation pattern are observed during their propagation, and they have been successfully carried and differentiated for at least 37 passages. This cell line maintains a normal phenotype without transforming spontaneously, even after long‐term maintenance in culture. This achievement may lead to easy establishment of porcine preadipocyte cell lines and novel model systems for studying the mechanisms of adipocyte differentiation and metabolism as a substitute for human preadipocytes. J. Cell. Biochem. 109: 542–552, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

过表达miR-191抑制猪ADSCs向脂肪细胞分化

在脂肪组织发育过程中存在许多差异表达的microRNAs（miRNAs）,而 miR-191 是从实验室前期Solexa测序结果中筛选出的差异表达miRNAs之一.本研究对不同物种miR-191的成熟及前体序列进行同源性分析,并检测其在猪不同发育阶段各组织中的表达情况,发现miR-191的成熟及前体序列在不同物种间都非常保守,通过real-time qPCR检测发现,miR=191在猪脂肪组织不同发育阶段呈高丰度差异表达,其与Solexa测序结果一致.为了更好地研究miR-191在脂肪细胞分化过程中的功能,通过基因克隆的方法,利用Ad-Easy体系,构建过表达miR 191的腺病毒载体,转染 293A细胞,成功包装出重组 miR-191腺病毒并能高效侵染猪脂肪基质细胞（adipose derived stromal cells, ADSCs）.通过real time qPCR检测表明,感染重组 miR-191 腺病毒后的ADSCs能大量表达miR-191|油红O染色可以观察到,过表达miR=191的猪ADSCs在诱导分化后与对照组相比,脂滴明显减少. 进一步研究发现,miR-191过表达的猪ADSCs中,SREBP-1C（sterol regulatory element binding protein=1C）和LPL（lipoprotein lipase）的mRNA水平显著降低,脂解关键基因HSL（hormone sensitive lipase）和ATGL（adipose triglyceride lipase）mRNA水平显著升高. 同时,Western印迹结果显示,过表达miR-191的猪ADSCs在诱导分化过程中,PPARγ（peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ）、C/EBPα（CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α）和A-FABP（adipocyte fatty acid binding protein）的蛋白表达水平显著下调. 实验表明,过表达miR-191抑制了猪ADSCs的分化过程. 这为深入研究miR-191在猪ADSCs分化过程中的调控机制奠定基础.     

Level of Preadipocyte Growth Factor in Rat Adipose Tissue which Specifically Permits the Proliferation of Preadipocytes Is Affected by Restricted Energy Intake

We previously reported the presence of a protein growth factor in rat adipose tissue which specifically permits the proliferation of 3T3-L1 and Obl771 preadipocytes [Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 1990;171:905–912, ref. 1] and which is hereinafter referred to as PAGF (preadipocyte growth factor). In this study, the effects of long-term restricted energy intake on the PAGF activity in rat epididymal and perirenal adipose tissue toward 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were investigated. When rats were subjected to restricted energy intake for three weeks, PAGF activity increased with energy intake. The body weight, epididymal and perirenal fat depot weights and glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity also increased with the energy intake, whereas the lactate dehydrogenase activity remained almost constant in all energy intake groups. These results suggest that the PAGF in fat depots functions in response to energy intake and contributes to the de novo formation of adipocytes and the growth of adipose tissue. This factor may provide a useful tool for further elucidation of the relationship between energy storage in adipose tissue and adipose tissue development.     

脂肪细胞分化及其调控的研究进展

肥胖症等多种代谢疾病在全世界范围内的流行使得人们高度关注脂肪沉积调控的机制研究。在细胞水平上,脂肪组织的沉积是脂肪细胞数目增加和单个细胞体积增大的结果。其中,脂肪细胞数目由多潜能干细胞定向分化为前体脂肪细胞的程度决定,而单个细胞体积则与其分化程度和甘油三酯积累量相关。因此,揭示脂肪细胞分化的细胞和分子机制,将为上述代谢性疾病预防和治疗提供重要的理论基础。本文对脂肪细胞的起源、脂肪细胞分化的体外研究模型、脂肪细胞分化的规律和调控以及脂肪细胞分化研究中关键的问题等方面的研究成果进行总结,综述了近年来关于脂肪细胞分化及其调控的研究进展。