Adipocytes Migration is Altered through Differentiation

Adipogenesis is a developmental process in which an elongated preadipocyte differentiates to a round adipocyte along with the accumulation of lipid droplets. In the present study, we focus on the study of cell motility at the single-cell level, toward expanding our knowledge regarding the cytoskeleton alteration during differentiation; since-cell motility is mediated by cytoskeletal components. We used the holographic-microscopy live imaging technique to evaluate, for the first time in the literature, differences between the motility of nondifferentiated preadipocytes and differentiated mature adipocytes in living cell cultures over time. We revealed that mean motility speed of preadipocytes was significantly higher (fourfold) than that of adipocytes, and that the movement of preadipocytes is less consistent and more extensive. Furthermore, we found that preadipocytes tend to migrate to farther distances, while mature adipocytes remain relatively close to their original location. The results presented here are in agreement with the fact that the cytoskeleton of adipocytes is altered during differentiation and similarly, points to the fact that the cell-sensing mechanisms are changing during differentiation. Our research paves the way to gain better insights of the differentiation process and its implications on larger scale systems in the context of obesity.