Tracking adipogenesis during white adipose tissue development, expansion and regeneration

Area of Science:

• Adipocyte biology and tissue plasticity.

Background:

• White adipose tissue (WAT) exhibits significant plasticity.
• Understanding adipocyte development and differentiation is crucial for metabolic research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a system for inducible, permanent labeling of mature adipocytes (AdipoChaser mouse).
• To investigate adipogenesis during development, high-fat diet (HFD) feeding, and cold exposure.

Main Methods:

• Development of the AdipoChaser mouse model for inducible and permanent labeling of adipocytes.
• Monitoring of adipogenesis across different fat depots under various physiological conditions.

Main Results:

• Cold-induced 'browning' of subcutaneous fat involves de novo differentiation of beige adipocytes.
• Epididymal fat initiates adipogenesis after 4 weeks of HFD, while subcutaneous fat undergoes hypertrophy for up to 12 weeks.
• Gonadal fat develops postnatally, contrasting with subcutaneous fat development between embryonic days 14-18.

Conclusions:

• Significant differences exist in the adipogenic potential of various fat depots.
• Adipocyte plasticity varies greatly depending on the fat depot and environmental stimuli.