Key result
Mouse white mature adipocytes can dedifferentiate in vitro, with ~15% spontaneously becoming beating cardiomyocyte-like cells.
Why the study?
It was unclear whether white mature adipocytes have the potential to differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells despite known relationships between adipocytes and cardiovascular cell types.
White mature adipocytes can differentiate into spontaneously beating cardiomyocyte-like cells, a process that can be promoted by inhibiting BMP and Wnt signaling.
White adipocyte-derived cardiomyocyte-like cells remain experimental; leaves open therapeutic translation pending in vivo validation.
AIMS: Adipose stromal cells and dissociated brown adipose tissue have been shown to generate cardiomyocyte-like cells. However, it is not clear whether white mature adipocytes have the same potential, even though a close relationship has been found between adipocytes and vascular endothelial cells, another cardiovascular cell type. The objective of this study was to examine if white adipocytes would be able to supply cardiomyocytes. METHODS AND RESULTS: We prepared a highly purified population of lipid-filled adipocytes from mice, 6-7 weeks of age. When allowed to lose lipids, the adipocytes assumed a fibroblast-like morphology, so-called dedifferentiated fat (DFAT) cells. Subsequently, 10-15% of the DFAT cells spontaneously differentiated into cardiomyocyte-like cells, in which the cardiomyocyte phenotype was identified by morphological observations, expression of cardiomyocyte-specific markers, and immunocytochemical staining. In addition, electrophysiological studies revealed pacemaker activity in these cells, and functional studies showed that a beta-adrenergic agonist stimulated the beating rate, whereas a beta-antagonist reduced it. In vitro treatment of newly isolated adipocytes or DFAT cells with inhibitors of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) and Wnt signalling promoted the development of the cardiomyocyte phenotype as determined by the number or beating colonies of cardiomyocyte-like cells and expression of troponin I, a cardiomyocyte-specific marker. Inhibition of BMP was most effective in promoting the cardiomyocyte phenotype in adipocytes, whereas Wnt-inhibition was most effective in DFAT cells. CONCLUSION: White mature adipocytes can differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells, suggesting a link between adipocyte and cardiomyocyte differentiation.
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Jumabay et al. (2009) studied this question. Inhibitors of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) and Wnt signalling was evaluated on Differentiation into cardiomyocyte-like cells. White mature adipocytes from mice can dedifferentiate into fat cells, of which 10-15% spontaneously differentiate into beating cardiomyocyte-like cells.
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