title: Brown adipocyte precursor cells: a morphological study.
abstract: The origin of brown adipocyte precursor cells is to date unknown. Some authors believe they arise from vascular cells, others from interstitial cells. The purpose of the present ultrastructural study was to find markers in rat fetal and perinatal adipose tissue that can be used to identify brown adipose precursor cells. The study was carried out on the interscapular brown adipose tissue of fetal (fetuses of 19 and 21 days) and perinatal rats (pups of 4 and 12 hours and of 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15 days). The analysis focused on stem cells and showed the characteristic presence of typical mitochondria which make their identification as brown adipocyte precursor cells inequivocal. These cells were frequently observed in a pericytic position. Also some endothelial cells were characterised by typical mitochondria and abundant glycogen. These data seem to support the hypothesis that brown adipocytes originate from vascular cells.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Morfologia Umana Normale, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Ancona, Italia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cinti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morroni
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005333:Fetus; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D015388:Organelles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*