All Topics  
Adipocyte

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Adipocyte
 
 
  Topics Adipocyte Topic Home

Adipocytes are the cell
Cell (biology)

The cell is the structural and functional unit of all known Life organisms. It is the smallest unit of an organism that is classified as living, and is often called the building bricks of life....
s that primarily compose adipose tissue
Adipose tissue

In histology, adipose tissue or fat is loose connective tissue composed of adipocytes. Adipose tissue is derived from lipoblasts. Its main role is to store energy in the form of fat, although it also cushions and Thermal insulation the body....
, specialized in storing energy as fat
Fat

Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Chemistry, fats are generally ester of glycerol and fatty acids....
.

There are two types of adipose tissue, white adipose tissue
White adipose tissue

White adipose tissue or white fat is one of the two types of adipose tissue found in mammals . In humans, white adipose tissue composes as much as 20% of the body weight in men and 25% of the body weight in women....
 (WAT) and brown adipose tissue
Brown adipose tissue

Brown adipose tissue or brown fat is one of the two types of adipose tissue that is present in many newborn or hibernation mammals. Its primary function is to generate body heat....
 (BAT), which are also known as white fat and brown fat, respectively, and comprise two types of fat cells.

White fat cells (unilocular cells)
White fat cells or monovacuolar cells contain a large lipid
Lipid

Lipids are broadly defined as any fat-soluble , naturally-occurring molecule, such as fats, oils, waxes, cholesterol, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins , monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others....
 droplet surrounded by a layer of cytoplasm
Cytoplasm

The cytoplasm is the part of a Cell that is enclosed within the plasma membrane. In eukaryote cells the cytoplasm contains organelles, such as mitochondrion, that are filled with liquid kept separate from the rest of the cytoplasm by biological membranes....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Adipocyte'
Start a new discussion about 'Adipocyte'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Adipocytes are the cell
Cell (biology)

The cell is the structural and functional unit of all known Life organisms. It is the smallest unit of an organism that is classified as living, and is often called the building bricks of life....
s that primarily compose adipose tissue
Adipose tissue

In histology, adipose tissue or fat is loose connective tissue composed of adipocytes. Adipose tissue is derived from lipoblasts. Its main role is to store energy in the form of fat, although it also cushions and Thermal insulation the body....
, specialized in storing energy as fat
Fat

Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Chemistry, fats are generally ester of glycerol and fatty acids....
.

There are two types of adipose tissue, white adipose tissue
White adipose tissue

White adipose tissue or white fat is one of the two types of adipose tissue found in mammals . In humans, white adipose tissue composes as much as 20% of the body weight in men and 25% of the body weight in women....
 (WAT) and brown adipose tissue
Brown adipose tissue

Brown adipose tissue or brown fat is one of the two types of adipose tissue that is present in many newborn or hibernation mammals. Its primary function is to generate body heat....
 (BAT), which are also known as white fat and brown fat, respectively, and comprise two types of fat cells.

White fat cells (unilocular cells)


White fat cells or monovacuolar cells contain a large lipid
Lipid

Lipids are broadly defined as any fat-soluble , naturally-occurring molecule, such as fats, oils, waxes, cholesterol, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins , monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others....
 droplet surrounded by a layer of cytoplasm
Cytoplasm

The cytoplasm is the part of a Cell that is enclosed within the plasma membrane. In eukaryote cells the cytoplasm contains organelles, such as mitochondrion, that are filled with liquid kept separate from the rest of the cytoplasm by biological membranes....
. The nucleus
Cell nucleus

In cell biology, the nucleus , also sometimes referred to as the "control center", is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in all eukaryote cell ....
 is flattened and located on the periphery. A typical fat cell is 0.1mm in diameter with some being twice that size and others half that size. The fat stored is in a semi-liquid state, and is composed primarily of triglyceride
Triglyceride

is a glyceride in which the glycerol is esterified with three fatty acids. It is the main constituent of vegetable oil and animal fats....
s and cholesteryl ester
Cholesteryl ester

A cholesteryl ester is, as its name would imply, an ester of cholesterol. The ester bond is formed between the carboxylate group of a fatty acid and the hydroxyl group of cholesterol....
. White fat cells secrete resistin
Resistin

Resistin is a cysteine-rich protein secreted by adipose tissue of mice and rats. In other mammals, at least primates, pigs and dogs, resistin is secreted by immune and epithelial cells....
, adiponectin
Adiponectin

Adiponectin is a protein which in humans is encoded by the ADIPOQ gene....
, and leptin
Leptin

Leptin is a 16 Atomic mass unit protein hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure, including appetite and metabolism....
. An average adult has 30 billion fat cells with a weight of 30 lbs or 13.5 kg. If excess weight is gained as an adult, fat cells increase in size about fourfold before dividing and increasing the absolute number of fat cells present.

Brown fat cells (multilocular cells)


Brown fat cells or plurivacuolar cells are polygonal in shape. Unlike white fat cells, these cells have considerable cytoplasm
Cytoplasm

The cytoplasm is the part of a Cell that is enclosed within the plasma membrane. In eukaryote cells the cytoplasm contains organelles, such as mitochondrion, that are filled with liquid kept separate from the rest of the cytoplasm by biological membranes....
, with lipid
Lipid

Lipids are broadly defined as any fat-soluble , naturally-occurring molecule, such as fats, oils, waxes, cholesterol, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins , monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others....
 droplets scattered throughout. The nucleus is round, and, although eccentrically located, it is not in the periphery of the cell. The brown color comes from the large quantity of mitochondria. Brown fat, also known as "baby fat," is used to generate heat.

Lineage


Although the lineage of adipocytes is still unclear, preadipocytes are undifferentiated
Undifferentiated

An undifferentiated thing lacks qualities that would make it different or unique. The word commonly refers to:...
 fibroblast
Fibroblast

A fibroblast is a type of cell that synthesizes the extracellular matrix and collagen , the structural framework for animal tissues, and play a critical role in wound healing....
s that can be stimulated to form adipocytes.

Mesenchymal stem cell
Mesenchymal stem cell

Mesenchymal stem cells, or MSCs, are multipotent stem cells that can Cellular differentiation into a variety of cell types. Cell types that MSCs have been shown to differentiate into in vitro or in vivo include osteoblasts, chondrocytes, myocytes, adipocytes, and, as described lately, Beta cell....
s can differentiate into adipocytes, connective tissue
Connective tissue

Connective tissue is a form of fibrous biological tissue.It is one of the four types of tissue in traditional classifications .Collagen is the main protein of connective tissue in animals and the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% of the total protein content....
, muscle or bone
Bone

Bones are rigid organ that form part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They function to move, support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red blood cell and white blood cells and store minerals....
.

Areolar connective tissue
Areolar connective tissue

Areolar tissue exhibits interlacing, loosely organized fibers, abundant blood vessels, and a lot of seemingly empty space. Its fiber run in random directions and are mostly collagenous, but elastic and reticular fibers are also present....
 is composed of adipocytes.

External links


- "Connective Tissue: unilocular (white) adipocytes " - "Connective Tissue: multilocular (brown) adipocytes"