fat cell
| Dictionary: fat cell |
n.
Any of various cells found in adipose tissue that are specialized for the storage of fat. Also called adipocyte.
| 5min Related Video: fat cell |
| Food and Nutrition: adipocyte |
A fat-containing cell in adipose tissue.
| Food and Fitness: adipocyte |
fat cell
A cell containing a glistening oil droplet composed almost entirely of fat. The droplet occupies most of the cell's volume, compressing other components such as the nucleus to one side. Mature adipocytes are among the largest cells of the body. Although they can become plumper by taking up more fat or more wrinkled by losing fat, they are fully specialized for fat storage and have a restricted ability to divide. The number of fat cells within an adult does not usually change, except when a high percentage of the cells are completely full of fat. However, an appropriate diet and exercise programme can be effective at reducing the size of adipocytes.
| Sports Science and Medicine: adipocyte |
A cell containing a glistening oil droplet composed almost entirely of fat. The droplet occupies most of the cell's volume, compressing other components, such as the nucleus to one side. Mature adipocytes are among the largest cells of the body. Although they can get plumper by taking up more fat or become more wrinkled by losing fat, they are fully specialized for fat storage and have a limited ability to divide. The number of fat cells within an adult does not usually change, except when a high percentage of the cells are completely full of fat. However, an appropriate diet and exercise programme can be effective at reducing the size of adipocytes.
| Veterinary Dictionary: adipocyte |
A cell specialized for the storage of fat; the fat is stored in a large cytoplasmic vesicle.
- embryonic a. — develop in the subcutis during the second half of pregnancy.
| Wikipedia: Adipocyte |
Adipocytes, also known as lipocytes and fat cells, are the cells that primarily compose adipose tissue, specialized in storing energy as fat.
There are two types of adipose tissue, white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT), which are also known as white fat and brown fat, respectively, and comprise two types of fat cells.
Contents |
White fat cells (unilocular cells)
White fat cells or monovacuolar cells contain a large lipid droplet surrounded by a layer of cytoplasm. The nucleus is flattened and located on the periphery. A typical fat cell is 0.1mm in diameter with some being twice that size and others half that size. The fat stored is in a semi-liquid state, and is composed primarily of triglycerides and cholesteryl ester. White fat cells secrete resistin, adiponectin, and leptin. An average adult has 30 billion fat cells with a weight of 30 lbs or 13.5 kg. If excess weight is gained as an adult, fat cells increase in size about fourfold before dividing and increasing the absolute number of fat cells present.[1]
Brown fat cells (multilocular cells)
Brown fat cells or plurivacuolar cells are polygonal in shape. Unlike white fat cells, these cells have considerable cytoplasm, with lipid droplets scattered throughout. The nucleus is round, and, although eccentrically located, it is not in the periphery of the cell. The brown color comes from the large quantity of mitochondria. Brown fat, also known as "baby fat," is used to generate heat.
Lineage
Although the lineage of adipocytes is still unclear, preadipocytes are undifferentiated fibroblasts that can be stimulated to form adipocytes.
Mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into adipocytes, connective tissue, muscle or bone.
Areolar connective tissue is composed of adipocytes.
The term "lipoblast" is used to describe the precursor of the adult cell. The term "lipoblastoma" is used to describe a tumor of this cell type.[2]
Cell Turnover
The number of fat cells stays constant in adulthood in lean and obese individuals, even after marked weight loss, indicating that the number of adipocytes is set during childhood and adolescence. Approximately 10% of fat cells are renewed annually at all adult ages and levels of body mass index.[3]
References
- ^ Pool, Robert (2001). Fat: fighting the obesity epidemic. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-511853-7.
- ^ Hong R, Choi DY, Do NY, Lim SC (July 2008). "Fine-needle aspiration cytology of a lipoblastoma: a case report". Diagn. Cytopathol. 36 (7): 508–11. doi:. PMID 18528880. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dc.20826.
- ^ "Dynamics of fat cell turnover in humans" Kirsty L. Spalding, et al. Nature 453 783-787, (2008)
External links
- Histology at BU 08201loa - "Connective Tissue: unilocular (white) adipocytes "
- Histology at BU 04901lob - "Connective Tissue: multilocular (brown) adipocytes"
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
This cell biology article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Best of the Web: fat cell |
Some good "fat cell" pages on the web:
 How? science.howstuffworks.com |
Learn More
 | lipocyte |
| lipoblast |
| bacteriocyte (invertebrate zoology) |
Help us answer these
 | What cell fat droplets do in a cell? |
| How the function of brown fat cells differs from that of white fat cells? |
| Can you have a pic of a fat cell? |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Food and Nutrition. A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2005 by A. E. Bender and D. A. Bender. All rights reserved. Read more |
|
| Food and Fitness. Food and Fitness: A Dictionary of Diet and Exercise. Copyright © 1997, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
|
| Sports Science and Medicine. The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Adipocyte". Read more |
Related answers
- What are fat cells?
- How the function of brown fat cells differ from white fat cells?
- Why do cells need fat?
- What drugs bind to fat cells?
ADVERTISEMENT
Answer these
- If you fat do the fat cells get fatter?
- What has fat cells?
- Do fat cells have nerve cells?
- Do cells have fat in their cell walls?
Mentioned in
- lipocyte
- lipoblast
- bacteriocyte (invertebrate zoology)
- yellow fat cell (histology)
- hibernoma
- liposarcoma (medicine)
- glycosylation
- gitter cells
- lecithin
- Adipose tissue (anatomy)
- inclusion
- infiltration
- Aflatoxin (intelligence)
- Globules of fat
