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Updated: Jun 13, 2026
Mechanism of Regulation of Adipocyte Numbers in Adult Organisms Through Differentiation and Apoptosis Homeostasis
Published on: June 3, 2016
Role of preadipocyte factor 1 in adipocyte differentiation
Yuhui Wang1, Carolyn Hudak, Hei Sook Sul
1Department of Nutritional Science & Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA, Tel.: +1 510 642 3978, , hsul@berkeley.edu.
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Preadipocyte factor 1 (Pref-1) is an EGF-repeat-containing transmembrane protein that inhibits adipogenesis. The extracellular domain of Pref-1 is cleaved by TNF-α converting enzyme to generate the biologically active soluble form of Pref-1. The role of Pref-1 in adipogenesis has been firmly established by in vitro and in vivo studies. Pref-1 activates ERK/MAPK and upregulates Sox9 expression to inhibit adipocyte differentiation. Sox9 directly binds to the promoter regions of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-β and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-δ in order to suppress their promoter activities in preventing adipocyte differentiation. Here, we describe the function of Pref-1 in adipocyte differentiation and the recent findings on the mechanisms by which Pref-1 inhibits adipocyte differentiation.
