Short communication: Adipogenic, metabolic, and apoptotic marker mRNA in cellular fractions of adipose tissue from chickens predisposed to be anorexic or obese.

The body weight-selected lines of chickens are a model for understanding factors that predispose an individual to anorexia or obesity. The high body weight-selected (HWS) individuals are compulsive eaters that become obese whereas the low body weight-selected (LWS) are relatively lean and hypophagic. The objective of this study was to measure gene expression of various preadipocyte, proliferation, metabolic, and apoptotic markers in the stromal-vascular fraction and adipocytes from LWS and HWS adipose tissue. Although preadipocyte and proliferation markers were more highly expressed in the stromal-vascular fraction of LWS than HWS chicks, greater expression of granzyme-A and the presence of more annexin V-positive cells suggests that apoptosis may limit the adipogenic potential of adipocyte precursor cells and represent a novel mechanism that regulates the expansion of adipose tissue. Results provide insights on cellular mechanisms associated with adipose tissue development in the lean and obese state.