The major function of adipocytes is to store triacylglycerol in periods of energy excess and to
mobilize this energy during times of deprivation. The short-term control of these lipogenic
and lipolytic processes is carefully modulated by hormonal signals from the bloodstream,
which provide an inventory of the body's metabolic state. Long-term changes in fat storage
needs are accomplished by altering both the size and number of fat cells within the body
because terminally differentiated adipocytes cannot divide. Alterations in the number of fat …