White and brown adipose stem cells: From signaling to clinical implications

► Adipocyte progenitors derive from pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells. ► Brown and white adipocytes develop from distinct cell lineages. ► Inducible brown adipocytes arise from progenitor differentiation or white adipocyte trans-differentiation. ► Recruitment of brown adipose tissue in humans may provide a novel approach to anti-obesity therapies.