[Molecular mechanism of switching adipocyte / osteoblast differentiation through regulation of PPAR-gamma function].

Adipocytes and osteoblasts are derived from mesenchymal stem cells, and some adipocyte differentiation regulators suppress osteoblast differentiation. PPAR-gammaplays a pivotal role for adipocyte differentiation and glucose tolerance. PPAR-gammais a member of nuclear receptor super family and regulates mRNA expression level of target genes by binding to fatty acid derivatives and thiazolidinediones. Recently, it was found that PPAR-gammainhibits osteoblast differentiation and regulates bone metabolism. In this report, we show recent studies about the extracellular signals regulating the transactivation function of PPAR-gamma.