The roles of PPARs in adipocyte differentiation

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