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  • Letter to the Editor
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Reply to Armani et al. Can cortisol stimulate adipogenesis without the glucocorticoid receptor?

International Journal of Obesity volume 38, pages 1578–1579 (2014)Cite this article

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The letter by Armani et al.1 brings up a number of interesting questions that underline the importance of selecting and defining experimental conditions and experimental models for studies of adipogenesis. The nuclear receptors may have to battle out who is the ‘leader’ in specific physiological and pathophysiological situations, but we think it is more likely that they play complementary roles in achieving optimal adipose tissue growth and remodeling, as well as metabolic and endocrine function.

The experiment shown in the letter by Armani et al.1 analyzed human visceral (omental) cultures, without prior subculturing, and apparently with cortisol present throughout. Only a minority of visceral stromal cells differentiated into adipocytes in controls, and MR knockdown decreased adipogenesis. The effect of GR knockdown was not assessed, and the reproducibility of this finding in cultures from multiple donors is not clear. Whether the subculturing procedure we employed is the critical factor determining the importance of GR vs MR in adipogenesis also remains to be determined.

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References

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  1. Department of Medicine, Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    M-J Lee & S K Fried

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  1. M-J Lee
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  2. S K Fried
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Correspondence to S K Fried.

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Lee, MJ., Fried, S. Reply to Armani et al. Can cortisol stimulate adipogenesis without the glucocorticoid receptor?. Int J Obes 38, 1578–1579 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.71

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