The adipocyte life cycle hypothesis states that the metabolic properties of an adipocyte vary predictably during its life cycle: that as an adipocyte matures, it accumulates triacylglycerol (triglyceride) and becomes larger; that the rates of triacylglycerol synthesis and lipolysis are matched within adipocytes and that larger adipocytes, in general, have greater rates of triacylglycerol synthesis and, concurrently, greater rates of lipolysis and, therefore, larger adipocytes have greater rates of transmembrane fatty acid flux; and that the secretion of cytokines can also be related to adipocyte size with larger adipocytes having a more unfavourable profile of cytokine secretion than smaller adipocytes. Adipocyte location is an important modifier of this relationship and the favoured sites of adipocyte proliferation are a function of gender and the position within the life cycle of the organism at which proliferation occurs. The adipocyte life cycle hypothesis posits that the metabolic consequences of obesity depend on whether expansion of adipose tissue is achieved primarily by an increase in adipocyte number or adipocyte size. This hypothesis may explain a variety of previously unanswered clinical puzzles such as the vulnerability of many peoples from South East Asia to the adverse metabolic consequences of obesity.
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January 2006
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Review Article|
December 12 2005
The adipocyte life cycle hypothesis
Jessica Smith;
Jessica Smith
*The Mike Rosenbloom Laboratory for Cardiovascular Research, McGill University Health Centre, Royal Victoria Hospital, 687 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada
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Maha Al-Amri;
Maha Al-Amri
*The Mike Rosenbloom Laboratory for Cardiovascular Research, McGill University Health Centre, Royal Victoria Hospital, 687 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada
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Prabhakaran Dorairaj;
Prabhakaran Dorairaj
†All India Institutes of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India
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Allan Sniderman
*The Mike Rosenbloom Laboratory for Cardiovascular Research, McGill University Health Centre, Royal Victoria Hospital, 687 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada
Correspondence: Professor Allan Sniderman (email [email protected]).
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
April 04 2005
Accepted:
May 18 2005
Online ISSN: 1470-8736
Print ISSN: 0143-5221
The Biochemical Society
2006
Clin Sci (Lond) (2006) 110 (1): 1–9.
Article history
Received:
April 04 2005
Accepted:
May 18 2005
Citation
Jessica Smith, Maha Al-Amri, Prabhakaran Dorairaj, Allan Sniderman; The adipocyte life cycle hypothesis. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 January 2006; 110 (1): 1–9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20050110
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