Editing Adipocyte (section)

{{Short description|Cells that primarily compose adipose tissue, specialized in storing energy as fat}}
{{Infobox cell
| Name        = Adipocyte
| Latin       = adipocytus
| Image       = Blausen 0012 AdiposeTissue.png
| Caption     = Illustration depicting white fat cells.
| Image2      = Adipocyte types.jpg
| Caption2    = Morphology of three different classes of adipocytes
| Precursor   =
| System      =
| Artery      =
| Vein        =
| Nerve       =
| Lymph       =
}}
'''Adipocytes''', also known as '''lipocytes''' and '''fat cells''', are the [[cell (biology)|cell]]s that primarily compose [[adipose tissue]], specialized in storing energy as [[fat]].<ref name="Birbrair 2298–2314">{{cite journal | vauthors = Birbrair A, Zhang T, Wang ZM, Messi ML, Enikolopov GN, Mintz A, Delbono O | title = Role of pericytes in skeletal muscle regeneration and fat accumulation | journal = Stem Cells and Development | volume = 22 | issue = 16 | pages = 2298–2314 | date = August 2013 | pmid = 23517218 | pmc = 3730538 | doi = 10.1089/scd.2012.0647 }}</ref> Adipocytes are derived from [[mesenchymal stem cell]]s which give rise to adipocytes through [[adipogenesis]].  In [[cell culture]], adipocyte progenitors can also form [[osteoblasts]], [[myocytes]] and other cell types.

There are two types of adipose tissue, [[white adipose tissue]] (WAT) and [[brown adipose tissue]] (BAT), which are also known as white and brown fat, respectively, and comprise two types of fat cells.