Growth and development of human adipose tissue during early gestation

doi:10.1016/0378-3782(83)90028-2

Early Human Development

Volume 8, Issue 1, March 1983, Pages 1-11

https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-3782(83)90028-2 Get rights and content

Abstract

805 normal-for-age human embryos and fetuses were used to study early prenatal fat development. The investigation included observations on stages of fat morphogenesis at the light microscopic level and computerized image analyses of fat lobule size and number. The buccal fat pad was selected as a model system for the analyses. Fat tissue differentiates between the 14th and the 16th weeks: there are five morphogenic phases in adipose tissue formation, strongly associated with the formation of blood vessels. Fat lobules are the earliest structures to be identified before typical vacuolated fat cells appear. Concerning fat lobule size and number, we show that after the 23rd week the total number of fat lobules remains approximately constant, while from the 23rd to 29th week the growth of adipose tissue is determined mainly by an increase in size of the lobules. These results suggest that the 14th through the 23rd week is a sensitive period in fat lobule development, and that disturbances of normal adipogenesis during this period may play a role in the etiology of obesity in later life.

References (17)

C.G. Brook
Evidence for a sensitive period in adipose-cell replication in man
Lancet
(1972)
L.B. Arey
Simple formulae for estimating the age and size of human embryos
Anat. Rec.
(1925)
T.J.C. Boulton et al.
Adipocyte growth in the first two years of life
Aust. Pediat. J.
(1974)
M. Di Girolamo et al.
A simple method to determine fat cell size and number in four mammalian species
Am. J. Phys.
(1971)
W. Flemming
On the formation and regression of fat cells in connective tissue with comment on the structure of the latter
Arch. R. Mikr. Anat.
(1871)
M.I. Gurr et al.
Adipose tissue cellularity: a review. 1) Techniques for studying cellularity
Int. J. Obes.
(1978)
J.A. Hammer
Contribution to our knowledge of adipose tissue
Arch. Mikr. Anat.
(1895)
R. O'Rahilly
Developmental stages in human embryos, including a survey of the Carnegie Collection
(1973)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (129)

HBP1 inhibits chicken preadipocyte differentiation by activating the STAT3 signaling via directly enhancing JAK2 expression
2022, Journal of Integrative Agriculture
Citation Excerpt :
Adipose tissue is important for energy storage in the body, and is mainly composed of adipocytes. In most species, adipose tissue begins to form before birth which depends on the increase in the number of adipocytes (Poissonnet et al. 1983, 1988). After birth, the expansion of adipose tissue depends on the increase in the number and size of adipocytes.
Obesity presents a serious threat to human health and broiler performance. The expansion of adipose tissue is mainly regulated by the differentiation of preadipocytes. The differentiation of preadipocytes is a complex biological process regulated by a variety of transcription factors and signaling pathways. Previous studies have shown that the transcription factor HMG-box protein 1 (HBP1) can regulate the differentiation of mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocytes by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. However, it is unclear whether HBP1 involved in chicken preadipocyte differentiation and which signaling pathways it regulates. The aim of the current study was to explore the biological function and molecular regulatory mechanism of HBP1 in the differentiation of chicken preadipocytes. The expression patterns of chicken HBP1 in abdominal adipose tissue and during preadipocyte differentiation were analyzed by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The preadipocyte stably overexpressing HBP1 or knockout HBP1 and their control cell line were used to analyze the effect of HBP1 on preadipocyte differentiation by oil red O staining, RT-qPCR and Western blot. Cignal 45-Pathway Reporter Array was used to screen the signal pathways that HBP1 regulates in the differentiation of chicken preadipocytes. Chemical inhibitor and siRNA for signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) were used to analyze the effect of STAT3 on preadipocyte differentiation. The preadipocyte stably overexpressing HBP1 was transfected by the siRNA of STAT3 or treated with a chemical inhibitor of STAT3 for the rescue experiment. The results of gene expression analysis showed that the expression of HBP1 was related to abdominal fat deposition and preadipocyte differentiation in chickens. The results of function gain and loss experiments indicated that overexpression/knockout of HBP1 in chicken preadipocytes could inhibit/promote (P<0.05) lipid droplet deposition and the expression of adipogenesis-related genes. Mechanismlly, HBP1 activates (P<0.05) the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway by targeting janus kinase 2 (JAK2) transcription. The results of functional rescue experiments indicated that STAT3 signaling mediated the regulation of HBP1 on chicken preadipocyte differentiation. In conclusion, HBP1 inhibits chicken preadipocyte differentiation by activating the STAT3 signaling pathway via directly enhancing JAK2 expression. Our findings provided new insights for further analysis of the molecular genetic basis of chicken adipose tissue growth and development.
Single cell functional genomics reveals plasticity of subcutaneous white adipose tissue (WAT) during early postnatal development
2021, Molecular Metabolism
The current study addresses the cellular complexity and plasticity of subcutaneous (inguinal) white adipose tissue (iWAT) in mice during the critical periods of perinatal growth and establishment.
We performed a large-scale single cell transcriptomic (scRNA-seq) and epigenomic (snATAC-seq) characterization of cellular subtypes (adipose stromal cells (ASC) and adipocyte nuclei) during inguinal WAT (subcutaneous; iWAT) development in mice, capturing the early postnatal period (postnatal days (PND) 06 and 18) through adulthood (PND56).
Perinatal and adult iWAT contain 3 major ASC subtypes that can be independently identified by RNA expression profiles and DNA transposase accessibility. Furthermore, the transcriptomes and enhancer landscapes of both ASC and adipocytes dynamically change during postnatal development. Perinatal ASC (PND06) are highly enriched for several imprinted genes (IGs; e.g., Mest, H19, Igf2) and extracellular matrix proteins whose expression then declines prior to weaning (PND18). By comparison, adult ASC (PND56) are more enriched for transcripts associated with immunoregulation, oxidative stress, and integrin signaling. Two clusters of mature adipocytes, identified through single nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), were distinctive for proinflammatory/immune or metabolic gene expression patterns that became more transcriptionally diverse in adult animals. Single nuclei assay for transposase-accessible chromatin (snATAC-seq) revealed that differences in gene expression were associated with developmental changes in chromatin accessibility and predicted transcription factor motifs (e.g., Plagl1, Ar) in both stromal cells and adipocytes.
Our data provide new insights into transcriptional and epigenomic signaling networks important during iWAT establishment at a single cell resolution, with important implications for the field of metabolic programming.
Bioreactors and microphysiological systems for adipose-based pharmacologic screening
2021, Scientific Principles of Adipose Stem Cells
Costs of drug development are estimated at over $2 billion per drug. There is a need for improved in vitro models that more accurately predict in vivo pharmacokinetics and improve drug outcome predictions. Adipose tissue is a key pathological organ in a variety of diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, liver cirrhosis, cardiovascular disease, and cancer and a promising pharmaceutical target. Recent advances in adipose-based microphysiological systems (MPS) and bioreactors demonstrate the potential for more physiologically relevant adipose tissue models and noninvasive assessments of cell phenotype. In addition to providing improved estimates of drug interactions, they aid progression toward development of a human-on-a-chip system.
Adipose tissue development and lipid metabolism in the human fetus: The 2020 perspective focusing on maternal diabetes and obesity
2021, Progress in Lipid Research
During development, the human fetus accrues the highest proportion of fat of all mammals. Precursors of fat lobules can be found at week 14 of pregnancy. Thereafter, they expand, filling with triacylglycerols during pregnancy. The resultant mature lipid-filled adipocytes emerge from a developmental programme of embryonic stem cells, which is regulated differently than adult adipogenesis.
Fetal triacylglycerol synthesis uses glycerol and fatty acids derived predominantly from glycolysis and lipogenesis in liver and adipocytes. The fatty acid composition of fetal adipose tissue at the end of pregnancy shows a preponderance of palmitic acid, and differs from the mother. Maternal diabetes mellitus does not influence this fatty acid profile. Glucose oxidation is the main source of energy for the fetus, but mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation also contributes. Indirect evidence suggests the presence of lipoprotein lipase in fetal adipose tissue. Its activity may be increased under hyperinsulinemic conditions as in maternal diabetes mellitus and obesity, thereby contributing to increased triacylglycerol deposition found in the newborns of such pregnancies. Fetal lipolysis is low. Changes in the expression of genes controlling metabolism in fetal adipose tissue appear to contribute actively to the increased neonatal fat mass found in diabetes and obesity. Many of these processes are under endocrine regulation, principally by insulin, and show sex-differences. Novel fatty acid derived signals such as oxylipins are present in cord blood with as yet undiscovered function. Despite many decades of research on fetal lipid deposition and metabolism, many key questions await answers.
Timing of gestational weight gain in association with birth weight outcomes: A prospective cohort study
2023, British Journal of Nutrition
Twins in Guinea-Bissau have a 'thin-fat' body composition compared to singletons
2022, Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

View all citing articles on Scopus

^☆: This work has been approved by the ethical committee of the University of Michigan Medical Center. Consent of the parents has been legally required for the submission of the fetuses to the Teratology Unit.

View full text

Growth and development of human adipose tissue during early gestation☆

Abstract

Lancet

Simple formulae for estimating the age and size of human embryos

Anat. Rec.

Adipocyte growth in the first two years of life

Aust. Pediat. J.

A simple method to determine fat cell size and number in four mammalian species

Am. J. Phys.

On the formation and regression of fat cells in connective tissue with comment on the structure of the latter

Arch. R. Mikr. Anat.

Adipose tissue cellularity: a review. 1) Techniques for studying cellularity

Int. J. Obes.

Contribution to our knowledge of adipose tissue

Arch. Mikr. Anat.

Developmental stages in human embryos, including a survey of the Carnegie Collection