Obesity is characterized by excessive accumulation of white adipose tissue. 
Bromodomain-containing protein 2 (Brd2), which belongs to the bromodomain and 
extraterminal domain family of proteins, suppresses adipocyte differentiation. 
DNA methylation is critical for several differentiation processes and possibly 
in adipocyte differentiation. However, whether DNA methylation regulates the 
expression of Brd2 is not clear. In our study, we demonstrated that DNA 
methylation contributes to the regulation of Brd2 expression during 
pre-adipocyte differentiation. Brd2 mRNA levels were low in pre-adipocytes, 
increased in early adipocytes, and declined in mature adipocytes. To test 
whether and how Brd2 expression is regulated by DNA methylation during the 
differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes to adipocytes, cells were cultured in 
the presence of the methylation inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza). 
Pre-adipocytes and adipocytes exposed to 5-Aza exhibited a dose-dependent 
increase in Brd2 transcription levels, while only mature adipocytes exhibited 
increased expression of Brd2 protein. Subsequently, we tested the DNA 
methylation status of the Brd2 promoter region. Bisulfite-sequencing analysis 
revealed that six CpG sites in two predicted promoters of Brd2 were demethylated 
in early adipocytes and highly methylated in mature adipocytes. Digestion of 
bisulfite-converted PCR products of the Brd2 promoter region from 3T3-L1 cells 
with BstU1 (CGGC) revealed that the demethylation rate of the Brd2 promoter was 
consistent with Brd2 mRNA expression in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. In 
conclusion, DNA demethylation of the Brd2 promoter region induced Brd2 
expression during differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells into adipocytes.