Fat depot origin affects fatty acid handling in cultured rat and human preadipocytes

affects fatty acid handling in cultured rat and human pre-adipocytes. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 280: E238–E247, 2001.—Regional differences in free fatty acid (FFA) handling contribute to diseases associated with particular fat distri-butions. As cultured rat preadipocytes became differentiated, FFA transfer into preadipocytes increased and was more rapid in single perirenal than in epididymal cells matched for lipid content. Uptake by human omental preadipocytes was greater than uptake by abdominal subcutaneous preadipo-cytes. Adipose-specific fatty acid binding protein (aP2) and keratinocyte lipid binding protein abundance was higher in differentiated rat perirenal than in epididymal preadipo-cytes. This interdepot difference in preadipocyte aP2 expres-sion was reflected in fat tissue in older animals. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 activity increased during differentia