Hwang C S, Loftus T M, Mandrup S, Lane M D
Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University Medical School, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. 1997;13:231-59. doi: 10.1146/annurev.cellbio.13.1.231.
Adipose tissue has long been known to house the largest energy reserves in the animal body. Recent research indicates that in addition to this role, the adipocyte functions as a global regulator of energy metabolism. Adipose tissue is exquisitely sensitive to a variety of endocrine and paracrine signals, e.g. insulin, glucagon, glucocorticoids, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), that combine to control both the secretion of other regulatory factors and the recruitment and differentiation of new adipocytes. The process of adipocyte differentiation is controlled by a cascade of transcription factors, most notably those of the C/EBP and PPAR families, which combine to regulate each other and to control the expression of adipocyte-specific genes. One such gene, i.e. the obese gene, was recently identified and found to encode a hormone, referred to as leptin, that plays a major role in the regulation of energy intake and expenditure. The hormonal and transcriptional control of adipocyte differentiation is discussed, as is the role of leptin and other factors secreted by the adipocyte that participate in the regulation of adipose homeostasis.
长期以来，人们都知道脂肪组织储存着动物体内最大的能量储备。最近的研究表明，除了这一作用外，脂肪细胞还作为能量代谢的全局调节因子发挥作用。脂肪组织对多种内分泌和旁分泌信号极为敏感，例如胰岛素、胰高血糖素、糖皮质激素和肿瘤坏死因子（TNF），这些信号共同控制其他调节因子的分泌以及新脂肪细胞的募集和分化。脂肪细胞分化过程由一系列转录因子控制，最显著的是C/EBP和PPAR家族的转录因子，它们相互结合以调节彼此，并控制脂肪细胞特异性基因的表达。最近发现了一个这样的基因，即肥胖基因，它编码一种名为瘦素的激素，瘦素在能量摄入和消耗的调节中起主要作用。本文讨论了脂肪细胞分化的激素和转录控制，以及瘦素和脂肪细胞分泌的其他参与脂肪稳态调节的因子的作用。
