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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

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Isolation, Expansion, and Adipogenic Induction of CD34+CD31+ Endothelial Cells from Human Omental and Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue
Published on: July 17, 2018
Two preadipocyte subtypes cloned from human omental fat
J L Kirkland1, C H Hollenberg, W S Gillon
1Institute of Medical Science, Medical Sciences Building Room 7238, Univ. of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 1A8.
Obesity Research
|March 1, 1993
Summary
Human fat contains preadipocytes with varying replication rates. These subtypes, both capable of becoming fat cells, suggest different developmental stages in precursor cell differentiation.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Adipogenesis Research
- Stem Cell Biology
Background:
- Preadipocytes are precursor cells to adipocytes (fat cells).
- Understanding preadipocyte heterogeneity is crucial for metabolic research.
- Previous studies have not fully characterized human preadipocyte variability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the uniformity of human preadipocytes.
- To determine if human preadipocytes exhibit variations in replicative capacity.
- To identify distinct subtypes of human preadipocytes.
Main Methods:
- Development of methods for culturing and differentiating cloned human preadipocytes.
- Long-term culture (six weeks) of individual human omental preadipocytes.
- Cloning and comparative analysis of preadipocyte subtypes from human and rat fat depots.
Main Results:
- Significant variation in cell numbers among clones from the same human subject.
- Identification of two distinct human omental preadipocyte subtypes: slow-replicating and extensively replicating.
- Both subtypes demonstrated adipogenic potential, confirming their preadipocyte nature.
- Similar slow- and fast-replicating subtypes were observed in rat preadipocytes.
Conclusions:
- Human preadipocytes are not uniform and exhibit variable replicative capacities.
- The identified subtypes likely represent different stages in the differentiation pathway from precursor cells to adipocytes.
- This heterogeneity in preadipocytes may influence adipose tissue development and function.

