Morphology and Motility Changes in Differentiating Adipocytes

Mesenchymal cell differentiation into adipocytes is associated with morphological and cytoskeletal changes. Alteration of extracellular matrix (ECM) components during the process affects the cell niche stiffness, which is correlated with pathophysiological mechanisms such as obesity and type-2 diabetes. Here, we conducted time-dependent morphology and motility analysis using innovative live imaging techniques on differentiating 3T3-L1 cultures. We extracted data regarding 2D and 3D cell morphology and identified significant differences in cell shape. Mature adipocytes were larger in size and more round than the fibroblasts. Motility analyses performed on fibroblasts compared to mature adipocytes revealed that mean motility speed of fibroblasts was 3-fold greater than for adipocytes. This indicates that the cytoskeleton reorganization and lipid droplets formation during adipogenesis have an impact on the motility. The importance of this study is in quantification of morphology and motility due to alteration of the cytoskeleton and cell adhesion molecules. Such understanding of the changes occurring in the cell structure during differentiation can provide additional platforms for drugs development and evaluation in order to improve treatment in related diseases.