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Updated: May 8, 2026
08:34
Mechanism of Regulation of Adipocyte Numbers in Adult Organisms Through Differentiation and Apoptosis Homeostasis
Published on: June 3, 2016
Identification of regulatory elements that control PPARγ expression in adipocyte progenitors
Wen-Ling Chou1, Andrea Galmozzi, David Partida
1Department of Chemical Physiology and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA.
Plos One
|September 7, 2013
Summary
Researchers identified five regulatory DNA sequences controlling PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma) expression in fat cell precursors. This finding offers insights into adipose tissue expansion and obesity regulation.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Adipose tissue expansion and obesity involve the proliferation and differentiation of adipose progenitors.
- The transcriptional regulation of early adipocyte determination is not well understood.
- Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a key marker for the adipose lineage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify regulatory elements controlling PPARγ expression in adipose precursors.
- To understand the transcriptional regulation of early adipocyte determination.
- To gain insights into adipose tissue expansion in normal and pathological states.
Main Methods:
- Identification and validation of conserved non-coding sequences (CNSs) in the PPARγ locus.
- Use of transgenic mice to assess reporter gene expression driven by identified CNSs.
- Analysis of PPARγ expression patterns in adipocyte precursors and mature adipocytes.
Main Results:
- Five highly conserved non-coding sequences (CNSs) within the PPARγ locus were identified.
- These CNSs drive reporter gene expression mimicking the tissue-specific pattern of PPARγ.
- The identified regulatory elements control PPARγ expression in vasculature-associated adipocyte precursors, but not in mature adipocytes.
Conclusions:
- The identified PPARγ regulatory sequences are crucial for controlling gene expression in adipocyte precursors.
- These elements may be key targets for understanding the molecular mechanisms of adipose tissue expansion.
- Further characterization could reveal transcription factors involved in adipocyte determination and obesity.
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