Adenoviral-mediated gene transfer to human adipocytes in vitro, and human adipose tissue ex vivo and rabbit femoral adipose tissue in vivo

Adenoviral-mediated gene transfer has proven useful in several organ systems to understand gene action and to provide a potential therapeutic modality for localized, organ-specific gene overexpression. However, the application of adenoviral-mediated gene transfer to adipocytes and adipose tissue has not been evaluated. We evaluated the feasibility of in vitro and ex vivo transfer of the β-galactosidase gene to human adipocytes and adipose tissue by means of adenoviral vectors. The efficiency (percentage of cells transduced) of adenoviral-mediated gene transfer of the β-galactosidase gene to human adipocytes in vitro and to human adipose tissue ex vivo was 21±3% and 14±3%, respectively. Adenoviral-mediated gene transfer in a rabbit femoral adipose tissue was also demonstrated in vivo. Adenoviral-mediated gene transfer may facilitate studies on understanding the biology of adipocytes and provide a potential tool for the modulation of adipocyte function in vivo and thereby for the treatment of obesity.