title: Inhibition of distinct steps in the adipocyte differentiation pathway in 3T3 T mesenchymal stem cells by dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO).
abstract: The process of adipocyte differentiation in murine 3T3 T mesenchymal stem cells involves three well-defined steps: 1 predifferentiation growth arrest; 2 non-terminal (reversible) differentiation and 3 terminal differentiation associated with the irreversible loss of proliferative potential. To further investigate these processes, the effects of dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), an agent that affects differentiation in several other cell systems, was tested. The results show that DMSO modulates two distinct steps of adipocyte differentiation. The first effect is evident when growing 3T3 T cells are cultured in differentiation-inducing medium in the presence of DMSO. Therein the expression of adipocyte phenotype is inhibited because the cells fail to growth-arrest at the predifferentiation growth arrest state. Instead in the presence of DMSO, cells growth-arrest at a biological state that does not support differentiation. The second effect is evident if nonterminally differentiated adipocytes are cultured in terminal differentiation-inducing medium containing DMSO. Therein the terminal step in differentiation is inhibited. These inhibitory effects occur in a dosage-dependent manner; maximum inhibition of differentiation requires 2% DMSO. Therefore, whereas DMSO typically promotes differentiation in other cell systems, DMSO inhibits multiple steps in the process of adipocyte differentiation. These observations support the conclusion that a single pharmacological agent can have markedly different effects on specific cell types. Even more important, the data establish that DMSO can now be used as a tool to study the molecular mechanisms involved in the multistep process of adipocyte differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Memphis 38163.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Scott
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000166:cytology*; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects; D003470:Culture Media; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide