Microenvironmental Control of Adipocyte Fate and Function

Benjamin D Pope; Curtis R Warren; Kevin Kit Parker; Chad A Cowan

doi:10.1016/j.tcb.2016.05.005

Microenvironmental Control of Adipocyte Fate and Function

Trends Cell Biol. 2016 Oct;26(10):745-755. doi: 10.1016/j.tcb.2016.05.005. Epub 2016 Jun 4.

Authors

Benjamin D Pope¹, Curtis R Warren², Kevin Kit Parker³, Chad A Cowan⁴

Affiliations

¹ Disease Biophysics Group, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
² Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
³ Disease Biophysics Group, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Mathematical Sciences, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY, USA.
⁴ Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: chad_cowan@harvard.edu.

Abstract

The properties of tissue-specific microenvironments vary widely in the human body and demonstrably influence the structure and function of many cell types. Adipocytes are no exception, responding to cues in specialized niches to perform vital metabolic and endocrine functions. The adipose microenvironment is remodeled during tissue expansion to maintain the structural and functional integrity of the tissue and disrupted remodeling in obesity contributes to the progression of metabolic syndrome, breast cancer, and other malignancies. The increasing incidence of these obesity-related diseases and the recent focus on improved in vitro models of human tissue biology underscore growing interest in the regulatory role of adipocyte microenvironments in health and disease.

Keywords: adipose development; biomechanics; extracellular matrix; metabolic disease; signal transduction; tissue engineering..

Publication types

Review
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adipocytes / cytology*
Animals
Cell Lineage*
Cell-Matrix Junctions / metabolism
Cellular Microenvironment*
Disease
Humans
Mechanotransduction, Cellular

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding