Regulation of adipogenesis and energy balance by PPAR gamma and PGC-1

There has been a great deal of recent progress in our understanding of the transcriptional control of adipogenesis. Current data suggest that fat cell differentiation involves an interplay between the C/EBP family of transcri ption factors and PPAR gamma, The thermogenic program of brown fat cells ma y also include a contribution from a new coactivator, PGC-1. Recent data su ggests that this cosactivator is responsible for activation of thermogenesi s and oxidative metabolism in both brown fat and muscle. The PGC-1 dependen t program includes both mitochondrial biogenesis and tissue-specific expres sion of uncoupling proteins.