Mesoderm-specific transcript (Mest) is an imprinted gene that is predominantly expressed in the embryonic and extraembryonic mesoderm, and its gene expression is the marker of the size of adipocytes. To characterize the expression effect of Mest gene products, we transfected mouse Mest into the 3T3-L1 cell line, which is a mouse preadipocyte cell line. The proliferation of the transfected 3T3-L1 cells was assessed via 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetry, and cell growth was assessed by counting the nuclei stained by Hoechst 33258. The 3T3-L1 cells transfected with recombinant Mest cDNA acquired the increased cell growth ability. Therefore, the gene products of Mest could be related to not only adipocyte expansion and adiposity but also mesoderm formation by enhancing the cell proliferation.Key words --mesoderm-specific transcript, preadipocyte, 3T3-L1, cell growth
INTRODUTIONWhite adipose tissue is the organ that not only stores energy in the form of fat but also secretes endocrine hormones, adipokines, to maintain the homeostasis of an organism. 1, 2) Obesity is a growing and serious public health problem in developed countries. Obesity harms the homeostatic balance of adipose tissues; eventually, obesity can harm the whole body through the development of * To whom correspondence should be addressed: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokushima Bunri University, 180 Yamashiro-cho, Tokushima 770-8514, Japan. Tel.: +81-88-602-8458; Fax: +81-88-655-3051; E-mail: ykadota@ph.bunriu.ac.jp type 2 diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. 3,4) Adipocytes that ingest large quantities of lipids secrete adipokines, such as TNF-α and resistin, which cause insulin resistance. 5) Various factors such as sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) and peroxisome proliferative activated receptor γ (PPARγ) enhance the proliferation, differentiation, and enlargement of adipocytes in obesity. 4,6)