Hormonal influences on the replication and maturation of adipocyte precursors.

The establishment of a propagating cell culture system of adipocyte precursors is facilitating the elucidation of the regulation of fat cell development by hormones and growth factors. 17 beta-Estradiol significantly enhances the replication of cultured human omental adipocyte precursors. Androgens do not influence their growth. These findings suggest that estrogens account, at least partly, for the changes that occur in certain adipose tissue regions at puberty. While the physiological role of fibroblast growth factor is unknown, the bovine polypeptide increases the replicative rate of skin fibroblasts to a greater extent than that of adipocyte precursors. On the other hand, partially purified, novel bovine pituitary polypeptides promote the replication of human adipocyte precursors to an appreciably greater extent than fibroblast growth factor. We are further characterizing these putative 'adipocyte growth factors'. Porcine pancreatic polypeptide significantly inhibits the multiplication of human omental adipocyte precursors. These findings may account for the scarcity of pancreatic fat tissue, and suggest that pancreatic polypeptide may control the growth of adipose tissue through its inhibitory effect.