Thiazolidinediones regulate adipose lineage dynamics

Abstract

White adipose tissue regulates metabolism; the importance of this control is highlighted by the ongoing pandemic of obesity and associated complications such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, and cancer. White adipose tissue maintenance is a dynamic process, yet very little is known about how pharmacologic stimuli affect such plasticity. Combining in vivo lineage marking and BrdU labeling strategies, we found that rosiglitazone, a member of the thiazolidinedione class of glucose-lowering medicines, markedly increases the evolution of adipose progenitors into adipocytes. Notably, chronic rosiglitazone administration disrupts the adipogenic and self-renewal capacities of the stem cell compartment and alters its molecular characteristics. These data unravel unknown aspects of adipose dynamics and provide a basis to manipulate the adipose lineage for therapeutic ends.