ABSTRACT
During the last two decades, growth and development of white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue, at the cellular and molecular levels, have been studied extensively in various mammals and humans. Various molecular events associated with the recruitment and differentiation of adipose cells have been delineated. This chapter examines the current understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that ultimately determine the hyperplastic development of adipose tissue and discusses some of the controversial issues. The intracellular events that direct the complete differentiation of adipoblasts to mature adipose cells involve large changes in gene expression. Adipocyte-lipid binding protein does not appear to be an exclusive marker of adipose cells, but nevertheless remains the most characteristic phenotype since limited information on the specific expression of clones 5,47 and 154 in adipose tissue has been reported.
