Regulation of adipose maturation and energy homeostasis.

The adipose tissue of mammals represents a dynamic organ disseminated throughout the body. It fluctuates in abundance according to the availability of metabolic energy supplies. Mature adipose tissue communicates with the central nervous system via a hormonal circuit that controls satiety. Adipogenesis can be recapitulated in cell culture, thus facilitating molecular biological studies of the regulatory proteins that control this process. Such studies have led to the identification of two families of transcription factors that regulate adipogenesis and mammalian energy homeostasis.