Adipose tissue development in the fetal pig examined using monoclonal antibodies

Two anti-adipocyte monoclonal antibodies (MAbs: AD-1 and AD-2) have been used to study the development of dorsal s.c. adipose tissue in fetuses from 50 to 110 d of gestation. Immunofluorescent staining of cryostat sections with each antibody revealed antigen-positive cells in fetal s.c. mesenchyme prior to lipid deposition. Lipid droplets as well as AD-1 and AD-2 positive cells were detected within the underlying muscle at 50 d. From 70 to 110 d of development, the AD-1 and AD-2 MAbs each detected all adipocytes examined, as well as capillaries associated with fat cell clusters in s.c. tissues. Reactivity toward both antibodies, as well as lipid deposition, also was detectable in the muscle underlying the s.c. mesenchyme from 70 d onward. Each MAb possessed a distinct pattern of reactivity. The AD-2 MAb stained arrector pili muscles and vessels in the s.c. mesenchyme and vessels in the underlying muscles, whereas the AD-1 did not. No reactivity using either MAb was detectable toward any other cell types within s.c. tissues. These results established the presence of cells expressing surface determinants found on mature adipocytes and associated capillaries prior to adipogenesis. A lineage relationship between adipocytes and capillary endothelial cells is suggested.