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Title: Cellular and molecular implications of mature adipocyte dedifferentiation

Author
item WEI, S - Washington State University
item DUARTE, M - Washington State University
item ZAN, L - Northwest Agricultural & Forestry University
item DU, M - Washington State University
item JING, Z - Washington State University
item GUAN, L - University Of Alberta
item CHEN, J - Federal University - Brazil
item POULOS, S - Coca-Cola Company
item Hausman, Gary
item DODSON, M - Washington State University

Submitted to: Journal of Genomics
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/13/2011
Publication Date: 2/1/2012
Citation: Wei, S., Duarte, M.S., Zan, L., Du, M., Jing, Z., Guan, L.L., Chen, J., Poulos, S., Hausman, G.J., Dodson, M.V. 2012. Cellular and molecular implications of mature adipocyte dedifferentiation. Journal of Genomics. 1:5-12.

Interpretive Summary: Mature fat cells may revert back to a primitive state and become capable of dividing and forming apparent new fat cells. The potential impact of mature fat cell dedifferentiation to normal growth processes may change current ideas regarding postnatal stem cells, and may be useful in a variety of applications of tissue engineering.

Technical Abstract: When one looks at the voluminous amount of scientific literature dealing with the molecular regulation of carcass composition, obesity, metabolic syndrome, or diabetes a profound number of papers are printed each week regarding adipocyte involvement in each. To form adipocytes (process termed adipogenesis) nearly all scientific papers refer to the use of preadipocytes, adipofibroblasts, stromal vascular cells or adipogenic cell lines. However, mature adipocytes, themselves, possess ability to undergo dedifferentiation, form proliferative-competent progeny cells (the exact plasticity is unknown) and reinitiate formation of adipogenic cells. This contribution to normal growth processes, or to disease function, remains a mystery. Moreover, ability of progeny cells to form other cell types could turn-out to be important for processes of tissue reconstruction/engineering.