Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) is a ligand activated transcription factor, plays many essential roles of biological function in higher organisms. The PPAR gamma is mainly expressed in adipose tissue. It regulates the transcriptional activity of genes by binding with other transcription factor. The PPAR gamma coding region has been found to be closest to that of monkey in ours and other research groups. Thus, monkey is a more suitable animal model for future PPAR gamma studying, although mice and rat are frequently being used. The PPAR gamma is involved in regulating alterations of adipose tissue masses result from changes in mature adipocyte size and/or number through a complex interplay process called adipogenesis. However, the role of PPAR gamma in negatively regulating the process of adipogenesis remains unclear. This review may help we investigate the differential expression of key transcription factor in adipose tissue in response to visceral obesity-induced diet in vivo. The study may also provide valuable information to define a more appropriate physiological condition in adipogenesis which may help to prevent diseases cause by negative regulation of the transcription factors in adipose tissue. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.