Abstract
We have previously demonstrated that albumin is directly involved in the formation of cytoplasmic lipid droplets in pancreatic stellate cells and may act as a downstream effector of adipogenic transcription factors, PPAR-γ and C/EBP-α. Here, we investigated the role of albumin in adipocyte differentiation using 3T3-L1 cells. Albumin expression was significantly increased at later stages of adipocyte differentiation, which was accompanied with increased C/EBP-β binding to albumin promoter. Suppression of albumin expression using short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) during differentiation led to a considerable reduction in lipid droplet formation, whereas albumin overexpression was stimulatory. Furthermore, point mutation in its fatty acid-binding sites inhibited lipid droplet formation. Consistent with these in vitro finding, Nagase analbuminemic rats displayed reduced fat accumulation. Therefore, our findings suggest that albumin may play a distinct role in adipocyte differentiation by promoting lipid accumulation.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 170-175 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Biochemical and biophysical research communications |
Volume | 397 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2010 Jun 25 |
Keywords
- 3T3-L1 adipocyte
- Adipogenesis
- Albumin
- C/EBP-α
- Lipid droplet formation
- PPAR-γ
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biophysics
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology