The roles of PPARs in adipocyte differentiation

Adipose tissue development takes place primarily around birth but adipose cell number can increase throughout life in response to nutritional changes. At the molecular level, adipogenesis is the result of transcriptional remodeling that leads to activation of a considerable number of genes. Several transcription factors act cooperatively and sequentially in this process. This article attempts to review the roles of per oxisome proliferator-activated receptors gamma and F in the control of preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation during adipose tissue development or during the adaptive response of adipose tissue mass to high-fat feeding. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.