title: Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in adipogenesis and metabolism.
abstract: Adipocyte differentiation consists of a complex series of events in which scores of cellular and extracellular factors interact to transform a fibroblast-like preadipocyte into a mature, lipid-filled adipocyte. Many of the pathways influencing this process have been identified using well-characterized preadipocyte culture systems and have subsequently been confirmed in animal models. Research conducted over the past decade has established the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway as an important regulator of adipocyte differentiation. While initial reports implicated activators of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling as potent inhibitors of adipogenesis, recent investigations of mesenchymal cell fate, obesity, and type 2 diabetes highlight significant additional roles for Wnt signaling in metabolism and adipocyte biology.
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. tcp@unmich.edu
authors.forename: Tyler C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Prestwich
authors.forename: Ormond A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Macdougald
mesh_terms: D050156:Adipogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin