ABSTRACT
The connection between obesity and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes is now well established and supports a role for adipose tissue dysfunction in obese individuals. Investigation into the development and biology of adipose tissue is a very active area of biological research and will continue to provide new insights and lead to novel strategies to combat obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other associated metabolic disorders therapeutically. Topics including white, brown, and beige/ brite adipose tissue; adipogenesis and important transcriptional regulators of this process; and the developmental origins of adipocytes are reviewed in this chapter.
