Triennial growth and development symposium: dedifferentiated fat cells: potential and perspectives for their use in clinical and animal science purpose

Abstract

An increasing body of evidences has demonstrated the ability of the mature adipocyte to dedifferentiate into a population of proliferative-competent cells known as dedifferentiated fat (DFAT) cells. As early as the 1970s, in vitro studies showed that DFAT cells may be obtained by ceiling culture, which takes advantage of the buoyancy property of lipid-filled cells. It was documented that DFAT cells may acquire a phenotype similar to mesenchymal stem cells and yet may differentiate into multiple cell lineages, such as skeletal and smooth muscle cells, cardiomyocytes, osteoblasts, and adipocytes. Additionally, recent studies showed the ability of isolated mature adipocytes to dedifferentiate in vivo and the capacity of the progeny cells to redifferentiate into mature adipocytes, contributing to the increase of body fatness. These findings shed light on the potential for use of DFAT cells, not only for clinical purposes but also within the animal science field, because increasing intramuscular fat without excessive increase in other fat depots is a challenge in livestock production. Knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the dedifferentiation and redifferentiation of DFAT cells will allow the development of strategies for their use for clinical and animal science purposes. In this review, we highlight several aspects of DFAT cells, their potential for clinical purposes, and their contribution to adipose tissue mass in livestock.