fat cell

American  

noun

Biology.

1. a cell in loose connective tissue that is specialized for the synthesis and storage of fat.

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Etymology

Origin of fat cell

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Lactate appears to send a signal through the receptor that kicks fat cell metabolism into hyperdrive, the team found.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 2, 2024

These proteins facilitate many of our body's physiological processes, including gut function, liver and fat cell metabolism, and skin elasticity.

From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2023

For example, an MDM2-targeting drug shrank deep-tissue fat cell tumors in just one out of 20 patients in a phase I safety trial, published in 2012.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 5, 2016

Although they seem to have similar functions, and express many of the same genes as brown fat, they are sufficiently distinct to be considered a new type of fat cell, says Spiegelman.

From Nature • Apr. 16, 2014

A fat cell and a muscle cell are as different as a gas tank and an engine: One stores energy, and one burns it.

From Washington Post