Rosen E D, Spiegelman B M
Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. 2000;16:145-71. doi: 10.1146/annurev.cellbio.16.1.145.
Adipogenesis, or the development of fat cells from preadipocytes, has been one of the most intensely studied models of cellular differentiation. In part this has been because of the availability of in vitro models that faithfully recapitulate most of the critical aspects of fat cell formation in vivo. More recently, studies of adipogenesis have proceeded with the hope that manipulation of this process in humans might one day lead to a reduction in the burden of obesity and diabetes. This review explores some of the highlights of a large and burgeoning literature devoted to understanding adipogenesis at the molecular level. The hormonal and transcriptional control of adipogenesis is reviewed, as well as studies on a less well known type of fat cell, the brown adipocyte. Emphasis is placed, where possible, on in vivo studies with the hope that the results discussed may one day shed light on basic questions of cellular growth and differentiation in addition to possible benefits in human health.
脂肪生成，即从脂肪前体细胞发育为脂肪细胞，一直是细胞分化领域研究最为深入的模型之一。部分原因在于存在体外模型，这些模型能够如实地重现体内脂肪细胞形成的大部分关键环节。最近，脂肪生成的研究进展寄希望于，有朝一日对这一过程的操控能够减轻人类肥胖和糖尿病的负担。本综述探讨了大量且不断涌现的致力于在分子水平理解脂肪生成的文献中的一些亮点。文中回顾了脂肪生成的激素调控和转录调控，以及对一种鲜为人知的脂肪细胞——褐色脂肪细胞的研究。在可能的情况下，重点关注体内研究，期望所讨论的结果有朝一日除了能为人类健康带来潜在益处外，还能阐明细胞生长和分化的基本问题。
