TNF-alpha is required for the attraction of mesenchymal precursors to white adipose tissue in Ob/ob mice.

ABSTRACT: Most adult tissues harbour a stem cell subpopulation (Mesenchymal Precursors or MPs) that represent a small proportion of the total cell number and have the potential to differentiate into several cell types within the mesenchymal lineage. In adipose tissue, adipocytes account for two-thirds of the total cell number. The remaining cells include blood and endothelial cells, along with adipocyte precursors (adipose MPs). Obesity is defined as an excess of body fat that frequently results in a significant impairment of health. The ob/ob mice bear a mutation in the ob gene that causes a deficiency in the hormone leptin and hence obesity. Here, we present evidence that ob/ob mice have a dramatic decrease in the resident MP pool of several tissues, including squeletal muscle, heart, lung and adi

SUBMITTER: Galvez BG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2635963 | biostudies-literature | 2009

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature