Fat cells from the abdomen and buttocks show different patterns of HOX gene activity, and these differences remain even when the cells are grown in a lab dish, suggesting the patterns are inherent to the cells themselves and were set early in development, not by their current location.

Fat tissue under the skin in the abdomen and buttocks has different patterns of gene activity, with certain genes involved in body development being less active in buttock fat than in abdominal fat, regardless of body weight.

The HOXA10 gene is more active in fat cells under the skin of the buttocks than in fat cells around the abdomen, and this higher activity continues even when these cells are grown in a lab. This suggests HOXA10 may help determine why gluteal fat behaves differently from abdominal fat.

In human fat tissue under the skin, the activity of certain genes involved in fat development does not change based on a person's body weight or fat levels, suggesting that how fat tissue is organized during development is separate from how much fat is present.

The HOXC13 gene is active only in fat tissue under the skin of the buttocks in both men and women, and not in abdominal fat tissue, which may indicate it helps define the distinct metabolic behavior of gluteal fat.