Adipose tissue is composed of anatomically distinct depots that mediate several important aspects of energy homeostasis. The past two decades have witnessed increased research effort to elucidate the ontogenetic basis of adipose form and function. In this Review, we discuss advances in our understanding of adipose tissue development with particular emphasis on the embryonic patterning of depot-specific adipocyte lineages and adipocyte differentiation in vivo Micro-environmental cues and other factors that influence cell identity and cell behavior at various junctures in the adipocyte lineage hierarchy are also considered.
Keywords: Adipocyte; Adipocyte lineages; Adipocyte precursors; Adipogenesis; Adipose; Adipose stem cells.
© 2019. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.