Original article
Development of a chemically defined serum-free medium for differentiation of rat adipose precursor cells

https://doi.org/10.1016/0014-4827(87)90412-5Get rights and content

Abstract

Stromal-vascular cells from the epididymal fat pad of 4-week-old rats, when cultured in a medium containing insulin or insulin-like growth factor, IGF-I, triiodothyronine and transferrin, were able to undergo adipose conversion. Over ninety percent of the cells accumulated lipid droplets and this proportion was reduced in serum-supplemented medium. The adipose conversion was assessed by the development of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) activities, [14C]glucose incorporation into polar and neutral lipids, triacylglycerol accumulation and lipolysis in response to isoproterenol. Similar results were obtained with stromal-vascular cells from rat subcutaneous and retroperitoneal adipose tissues. Stromal-vascular cells required no adipogenic factors in addition to the components of the serum-free medium. Insulin was required within a physiological range of concentrations for the emergence of LPL and at higher concentrations for that of GPDH. When present at concentrations ranging from 2 to 50 nM, IGF-I was able to replace insulin for the expression of both LPL and GPDH. The development of a serum-free, chemically defined medium for the differentiation of diploid adipose precursor cells opens up the possibility of characterizing inhibitors or activators of the adipose conversion process.

References (54)

  • P Djian et al.

    Exp cell res

    (1982)
  • H Green et al.

    Cell

    (1976)
  • M Darmon et al.

    Exp cell res

    (1981)
  • D Gaillard et al.

    Biochim biophys acta

    (1985)
  • C Vannier et al.

    J biol chem

    (1985)
  • L.S. Wise et al.

    J biol chem

    (1979)
  • C Bordier

    J biol chem

    (1981)
  • M.A.K. Markwell et al.

    Anal biochem

    (1978)
  • C Labarca et al.

    Anal biochem

    (1980)
  • R Négrel et al.

    Biochim biophys acta

    (1981)
  • P Björntorp et al.

    J lipid res

    (1978)
  • P Björntorp et al.

    Metabolism

    (1982)
  • C Vannier et al.

    Biochim biophys acta

    (1986)
  • E.G. Hayman et al.

    Exp cell res

    (1985)
  • C Wilson et al.

    Eur j pharm

    (1984)
  • P Grimaldi et al.

    J biol chem

    (1979)
  • J.P. Mather et al.

    Exp cell res

    (1979)
  • C Schmid et al.

    FEBS lett

    (1983)
  • A Kurtz et al.

    FEBS lett

    (1982)
  • J Massague et al.

    J biol chem

    (1982)
  • L.J. Wardzala et al.

    J biol chem

    (1984)
  • A.M. Gaben-Cogneville et al.

    Biochim biophys acta

    (1984)
  • P Björntorp et al.

    J lipid res

    (1985)
  • P Djian et al.

    Metabolism

    (1985)
  • W Kuri-Harcuch et al.

    Cell

    (1978)
  • E Amri et al.

    Exp cell res

    (1984)
  • M Morikawa et al.

    Cell

    (1982)
  • Cited by (159)

    • Cytological and functional characteristics of fascia adipocytes in rats: A unique population of adipocytes

      2020, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids
    • Subcutaneous fat in normal and diseased states. 3. Adipogenesis: From stem cell to fat cell

      2007, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
      Citation Excerpt :

      Unlike clonal cells, which are aneuploid, primary cells are diploid, and may, therefore, better reflect the in vivo context. Second, they can be isolated from the adipose tissue of several species, including humans, at different postnatal stages of development and from various anatomic locations.20,54 Because species-species differences in fat cell biology exist between humans and animals, the ability to culture primary human preadipocytes has greatly contributed to an understanding of human adipogenesis.19

    • In vitro and ex vivo models of adipocytes

      2021, American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology
    View all citing articles on Scopus

    This work was supported by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (LP 7300), the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (grant no. 4388) and the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale Française.

    View full text