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BMP4 mediates the interplay between adipogenesis and angiogenesis during expansion of subcutaneous white adipose tissue Free
Yan Tang1, Shu-Wen Qian1,*, Meng-Yuan Wu1, Jue Wang1, Ping Lu1, Xi Li1, Hai-Yan Huang1, Liang Guo1, Xia Sun1, Cong-Jian Xu2, and Qi-Qun Tang1,*
1Key Laboratory of Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, the Ministry of Education, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Fudan University Shanghai Medical College, Shanghai 200032, China
2Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 200090, China *Correspondence to:Qi-Qun Tang, E-mail: qqtang@shmu.edu.cn; Shu-Wen Qian, E-mail: shuwenqian2013@163.com
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 8, Issue 4, August 2016, 302-312,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjw019
Keyword: adipose stem cells BMP4 adipogenesis PDGFRβ angiogenesis

The expansion of subcutaneous (SC) white adipose tissue (WAT) has beneficial effects on metabolic health. Our previous work showed an increased number of bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4)-activated beige adipocytes in SC WAT, indicating a potential role of BMP4 in adipocyte recruitment. It was also demonstrated that BMP4 committed multipotent mesodermal C3H10T1/2 stem cells to the adipocyte lineage ex vivo. However, the mechanism by which BMP4 regulates adipogenesis in vivo has not been clarified. In this study, we found that BMP4 stimulated de novo adipogenesis in SC WAT concomitant with enhanced blood vessel formation, thus promoting adipose tissue angiogenesis. Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β-positive (PDGFRβ+) multipotent stem cells within the neoangiogenic vessels were found to be adipocyte progenitors. Moreover, BMP4 downregulated PDGFRβ by stimulating the lysosome-dependent degradation, which efficiently initiated adipogenic differentiation. These results suggest how BMP4 regulates adipocyte recruitment in SC WAT, and thus promote its beneficial metabolic effects.