Choosing an Adipose Tissue Depot for Sampling -- Morphologic Techniques for the Study of Brown Adipose Tissue and White Adipose Tissue -- Confocal Microscopy of Adipocytes -- Cellularity Measurements -- Subcellular Fractionation of Adipocytes and 3T3-L1 Cells -- Quantification of Lipid-Related mRNAs by Reverse Transcription-Competitive Polymerase Chain Reaction in Human White Adipose Tissue Biopsies -- Glycogen Synthase Activity in Adipose Tissue -- Assays of Lipolytic Enzymes -- Assays of Lipogenic Enzymes -- Assays of Adrenergic Receptors -- Transfection of Adipocytes and Preparation of Nuclear Extracts -- Assay of Membrane Transport of Long-Chain Fatty Acids by Adipocytes -- Assays of Glucose Entry, Glucose Transporter Amount, and Translocation -- Methods to Study Phosphorylation and Activation of the Hormone-Sensitive Adipocyte Phosphodiesterase Type 3B in Rat Adipocytes -- Measurements of Glucose Conversion to its Metabolites -- Metabolite and Ion Fluxes and Ion Channels in Brown and White Adipocytes -- Culture of Adipose Tissue and Isolated Adipocytes -- Cultures of Adipose Precursor Cells from Brown Adipose Tissue and of Clonal Brown-Adipocyte-Like Cell Lines -- Cultures of Adipose Precursor Cells and Cells of Clonal Lines from Animal White Adipose Tissue -- Cultures of Human Adipose Precursor Cells -- Measurements of Peptide and Nonpeptide Secretory Products from Adipocytes -- Assessment of White Adipose Tissue Metabolism by Measurement of Arteriovenous Differences -- Measurement of Adipose Tissue Blood Flow -- Respiratory and Thermogenic Capacities of Cells and Mitochondria from Brown and White Adipose Tissue -- Measurements of White Adipose Tissue Metabolism by Microdialysis Technique -- Immunoassay Measurements of Leptin.

Adipose tissue is now recognized as a widely dispersed secretory organ that exhibits autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine properties, and plays a significant role in obesity, the most common health problem in industrialized countries. In Adipose Tissue Protocols, Gérard Ailhaud and a team of laboratory experts and clinicians describe in step-by-step detail the major techniques needed for the study of adipose tissue and cells. Drawn from both in vivo and in vitro studies, these readily reproducible methods cover a broad range of techniques, including the choice of adipose tissue depot and of morphological techniques for work on both brown adipose tissue (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT). Major treatment is accorded the isolation, subcellular fractionation, and transfection of low density adipocytes, as well as the metabolic aspects of nutrient uptake and key assays of nutrient and ion fluxes. Also covered are: biopsies and quantification of lipid-related mRNAs; cultures of adipose precursor cells from WAT and BAT; measurements of adipose secretory products; assessment of WAT metabolism in vivo; and assays of lipid-related enzymes. Innovative and highly practical, Adipose Tissue Protocols offers endocrinologists, physiologists, cell biologists, and pharmacologists a gold-standard collection of proven methods for effective nutritional, physiological, and molecular-level research on adipose tissue.