Background: The body distribution with high intramuscular fat and low abdominal fat is ideal goal for broiler breeding. Preadipocytes with different origins have differences in metabolism and gene expression. This transcriptome analysis of intramuscular preadipocytes (DIMPs) and adipose tissue-derived preadipocytes (DAFPs) is aim to explore the characteristics in lipid deposition of different chicken preadipocytes by dedifferentiation in vitro. Results: Compared to DAFPs, the total lipid content was decreased (P <0.05) in DIMFPs after two days with 100% confluence. Moreover, 72 DEGs related to lipid metabolism were screened, which are involved in the adipocyte differentiation, fatty acid transport and fatty acid synthesis, lipid stabilization, and lipolysis. Among the 72 DEGs, 19 DEGs were enriched in the PPAR signaling pathway, indicating a main contribution to the regulation of the difference of lipid deposition between DAFPs and DIMFPs. Among these 19 genes, the representative APOA1, ADIPOQ, FABP3, FABP4, FABP7, HMGCS2, LPL and RXRG genes were down-regulated, but ACSL1, FABP5, PCK2, PDPK1, PPARG, SCD, SCD5, SLC27A6 genes were up-regulated (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) in the DIMFPs. In addition, the well-known pathways affecting lipid metabolism (MAPK-, TGF beta-, Calcium-, PPAR signaling pathway) and the pathways related to cell communication were enriched, which may also contribute to the regulation of lipid deposition. Finally, the regulatory network for the difference of lipid deposition between chicken DAFPs and DIMFPs were proposed based on the above information.Conclusions: Our data suggested the difference of lipid deposition between DIMPs and DAFPs of chicken in vitro, and proposed the molecular regulatory network for the difference of lipid deposition between chicken DAFPs and DIMFPs. The lipid content was significantly increased in DAFPs by the direct mediation of PPAR signaling pathways. These findings provide new insights into the regulation of tissue-specific fat deposition and optimizing body fat distribution in broilers.