1993 Articles

Genomic sequences capable of committing mouse and rat fibroblasts to adipogenesis

Colón-Teicher, Luz; Wise, Leigh S.; Martino, Jeffrey J.; Baskin, Leonard; Sakoulas, George; Pollack, Robert; Chen, Suzie

The mouse Swiss 3T3-F442A/3T3-C2 cell system Is well suited for the isolation of genes involved in commitment to adipogenesis. 3T3-F442A cells convert to adlpocytes with high efficiency in response to confluence and insulin. The sister clonal line 3T3-C2 does not respond to these signals, but can convert to adlpocytes when transfected with DNA from 3T3-F442A preadipocytes or from human fat. Human fat-tissue biopsy FO46 DNA transfected into 3T3-C2 gave rise to fat foci after two rounds of transfectlon and selection. A cosmld library of a subclone of secondary transfectant 3T3-C2/FO46-1 was screened for the human repetitive Alu sequence. Five out of eight Alu + recombinant clones committed 3T3-C2 cells to adipogenesis. The adipose commitment (AC) activity of one cosmld, p18A4, was found to reside in two small, non-Identical, subcloned sequences 1.2kb and 2.0kb in length, each separately able to commit 3T3-C2, precrlsis mouse and rat fibroblasts and the murtlpotentlal C3H10T1/2 cell line to adipogenesis. We conclude that commitment to adipogenesis can be effected in vitro with high efficiency by transfectlon of specific sequences Into a variety of host cells.