Fig. 1

Changes in MTP activity and lipid droplets formation during differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes into mature adipocytes. Cells were first induced with INS/DEX/IBMX for 2 days and then differentiated in 10 % FBS media containing insulin for 10 days. Following induction, differentiated cells were treated either with DMSO (dotted lines) or in the presence of 1 μM of MTPi [Lomitapide (AEGR-733); solid lines] and collected every 2 days until adipocytes full maturation (D10). Cells were homogenized and assayed for MTP activity (a), triglycerides content (b), and Mttp gene expression (c). In subsequent experiment, expression profiles of different genes were analyzed on different days (d). Relative mRNA levels were measured by qPCR and normalized to 18S RNA. Results are mean of triplicates ± SD. Significance is represented by *, p < 0.05 and **, p < 0.01. Data are representative of two independent experiments