The Use of 3T3-L1 Murine Preadipocytes as a Model of Adipogenesis

The 3T3-L1 murine preadipocyte cell line is a commonly used tool for analysis of the subcellular pathways involved in preadipocytic cell differentiation (a process also commonly known as adipogenesis). The major characteristic of adipogenesis is the intracellular accumulation of membrane-bound lipid droplets. Here, we describe methods used for the culture and transformation of these preadipocytes into mature adipocytes and quantification of intracellular lipid accumulation using the lipid specific dye, Oil Red O.