Reversible physiological transdifferentiation in the adipose organ

2009/08/24 by Saverio Cinti · 89 citations
Medicine · Neuroscience · #Adipocyte #Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases #Adipose Tissue and Metabolism #Adipose tissue #Biology #Brown adipose tissue #Cell biology #Endocrinology #Genetics #Internal medicine #Lactation #Mammary gland #Medicine #Pregnancy #Regulation of Appetite and Obesity #Stem cell #Transdifferentiation #White adipose tissue

paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/s0029665109990140

published in Proceedings of The Nutrition Society 68(4), 340-349 (Cambridge University Press)

openalex publication_date 2009/08/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

All mammals are provided with two distinct adipose cells, white and brown adipocytes. White adipocytes store lipids to provide fuel to the organism, allowing intervals between meals. Brown adipocytes use lipids to produce heat. Previous descriptions have implied their localization in distinct sites of the body; however, it has been demonstrated that they are present together in many depots, which has led to the new concept of the adipose organ. In order to explain their coexistence the hypothesis of reversible physiological transdifferentiation has been developed, i.e. they are contained together because they are able to convert, one into the other. In effect, if needed the brown component of the organ could increase at the expense of the white component and vice versa. This plasticity is important because the brown phenotype of the organ is associated with resistance to obesity and its related disorders. A new example of reversible physiological transdifferentiation of adipocytes is offered by the mammary gland during pregnancy, lactation and post-lactation stages. The gravidic hormonal stimulus seems to trigger a transdifferentiation of adipocytes into milk-producing and secreting epithelial glands. In the post-lactation period some of the epithelial cells of the mammary gland seem to transdifferentiate into adipocytes. Recent unpublished results suggest that explanted adipose tissue, as well as explanted isolated mature adipocytes, is able to transdifferentiate into glands with epithelial markers of milk-secreting mammary glands. These findings, if confirmed, seem to suggest new windows into the cell biology frontiers of adipocytes.

Citations

• Strain-Specific Response toβ3-Adrenergic Receptor Agonist Treatment of Diet-Induced Obesity in Mice1
• CL316,243 and Cold Stress Induce Heterogeneous Expression of UCP1 mRNA and Protein in Rodent Brown Adipocytes
• Chronic inflammation in fat plays a crucial role in the development of obesity-related insulin resistance
• Obesity is associated with macrophage accumulation in adipose tissue

Cited by

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• Differentiation of Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells into "Brite" (Brown-in-White) Adipocytes. [europepmc]
• The adipose organ at a glance. [europepmc]
• Brown adipose tissue: development, metabolism and beyond. [europepmc]
• Cold acclimation recruits human brown fat and increases nonshivering thermogenesis. [europepmc]
• Oleoylethanolamide enhances β-adrenergic-mediated thermogenesis and white-to-brown adipocyte phenotype in epididymal white adipose tissue in rat. [europepmc]
• Direct evidence of brown adipocytes in different fat depots in children. [europepmc]
• Influencing Factors of Thermogenic Adipose Tissue Activity. [europepmc]
• Sorting out adipocyte precursors and their role in physiology and disease. [europepmc]
• Brown and beige adipose tissues: phenotype and metabolic potential in mice and men. [europepmc]
• Muscle and adipose tissue morphology, insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function in diabetic and nondiabetic obese patients: effects of bariatric surgery. [europepmc]
• Circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 is reduced, whereas its production is increased in a fat depot-specific manner in cold-acclimated rats. [europepmc]
• Adipocyte HDAC4 activation leads to beige adipocyte expansion and reduced adiposity. [europepmc]
• Cold acclimation enhances UCP1 content, lipolysis, and triacylglycerol resynthesis, but not mitochondrial uncoupling and fat oxidation, in rat white adipocytes. [europepmc]
• Rheb promotes brown fat thermogenesis by Notch-dependent activation of the PKA signaling pathway. [europepmc]
• Emerging Roles for Browning of White Adipose Tissue in Prostate Cancer Malignant Behaviour. [europepmc]
• The Endocrine Adipose Organ: A System Playing a Central Role in COVID-19. [europepmc]
• Lesson on obesity and anatomy of adipose tissue: new models of study in the era of clinical and translational research. [europepmc]
• Endothelial cell alterations in capillaries of adipose tissue from patients affected by lipedema. [europepmc]

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• Brown Adipose Tissue: Function and Physiological Significance
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