title: PDGFRα controls the balance of stromal and adipogenic cells during adipose tissue organogenesis.
abstract: Adipose tissue is distributed in depots throughout the body with specialized roles in energy storage and thermogenesis. PDGFRα is a marker of adipocyte precursors, and increased PDGFRα activity causes adipose tissue fibrosis in adult mice. However, the function of PDGFRα during adipose tissue organogenesis is unknown. Here, by analyzing mice with juxtamembrane or kinase domain point mutations that increase PDGFRα activity (V561D or D842V), we found that PDGFRα activation inhibits embryonic white adipose tissue organogenesis in a tissue-autonomous manner. By lineage tracing analysis, we also found that collagen-expressing precursor fibroblasts differentiate into white adipocytes in the embryo. PDGFRα inhibited the formation of adipocytes from these precursors while favoring the formation of stromal fibroblasts. This imbalance between adipocytes and stromal cells was accompanied by overexpression of the cell fate regulator Zfp521. PDGFRα activation also inhibited the formation of juvenile beige adipocytes in the inguinal fat pad. Our data highlight the importance of balancing stromal versus adipogenic cell expansion during white adipose tissue development, with PDGFRα activity coordinating this crucial process in the embryo.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA.|Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA.
authors.forename: Chengyi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA.
authors.forename: William L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA lorin-olson@omrf.org.|Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA.
authors.forename: Lorin E
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2168-7836
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Olson
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D050156:Adipogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000235:genetics; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D005260:Female; D008060:Lipodystrophy / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D017354:Point Mutation; D011247:Pregnancy; D020796:Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha / Q000502:physiology*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D020796:Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha
keywords: Adipocyte; Cell fate; Lipodystrophy; Mouse; Myf5; Platelet-derived growth factor