Altered expression of C/EBP family members results in decreased adipogenesis with aging

Fat mass, adipocyte size and metabolic responsiveness, and preadipocyte differentiation decrease between middle and old age. We show that expression of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP)-alpha, a key regulator of adipogenesis and fat cell function, declined substantially with aging in differentiating preadipocytes cultured under identical conditions from rats of various ages. Overexpression of C/EBP alpha in preadipocytes cultured from old...