The molecular regulation of adipogenesis by CD24

Smith, Nicole C. (2013) The molecular regulation of adipogenesis by CD24. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Both an excess and a paucity of adipose tissue can result in major health complications such as heart disease, stroke and increased cancer risk. CD24 is a cell surface receptor involved in the regulation of cell survival. Previous research suggests that CD24 is expressed on cells that can become adipocytes, however the function of CD24 on these cells is unclear. The goal of this thesis was to determine if CD24 directly regulates adipogenesis by examining its expression and regulation on pre-adipocytes in vitro and in vivo. CD24 mRNA and protein expression was found to increase upon induction of adipogenesis in vitro in 3T3-L I pre-adipocytes, followed by a decrease as the adipocyte matured. This increase in CD24 expression was mediated by cyclic adenosine monophosphate. Antibody-mediated clustering of CD24 resulted in decreased mRNA expression of late adipogenic markers and increased expression of CD24 itself, suggesting the presence of a positive feedback loop. Overall, the data presented here suggest that there is an inverse correlation between CD24 expression and adipocyte differentiation and/or function. This work has implications for improving the health of obese and lipodystrophic patients.

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