A cellular model for the investigation of depot specific human adipocyte biology

Upper-body adiposity is associated with increased metabolic disease risk, while lower-body adiposity is paradoxically protective. Efforts to understand the underlying mechanisms require appropriate and reproducible in vitro culture models. We have therefore generated immortalised ((im)) human preadipocyte (PAD) cell lines derived from paired subcutaneous abdominal and gluteal adipose tissue. These cell lines, denoted (im)APAD and (im)GPAD display enhanced proliferation and robust adipogenic capacities. Differentiated (im)APAD and (im)GPAD adipocytes synthesize triglycerides de novo and respond lipolytically to catecholamine-stimulation. Importantly the cells retain their depot-of-origin ‘memory’ as reflected by inherent differences in fatty acid metabolism and expression of depot-specific developmental genes. These features make these cell lines an invaluable tool for the in vitro investigation of depot-specific human adipocyte biology.