Fig. 2

RNAi-based MTP gene silencing and MTP overexpression in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells modulates adipogenesis. Cells were partially differentiated in DMEM containing 10 % FBS until D4. On day 4, cells were transfected with scrambled siRNA or siRNA for MTP and replated. Three days postransfection (day 7), cells were collected and assessed for MTP expression (a), MTP activity (b), total cell protein content (c), and lipid droplet formation (d). In a different experiment, cells were transfected using lipofectamine reagent and 1 μg of cDNA of empty vector (pCMV6) or human MTP (hMTP-Flag or pRC-hMTP) for 24 h and 48 h transfection. Cells were harvested in homogenization buffer to determine MTP activity (e), intracellular triglycerides (f), and total cell protein (g). Results shown are representative of two independent experiments. Values are mean of triplicates ± SD. *, p < 0.05 and **, p < 0.01