Abstract: Triacylglycerol hydrolase (TGH) is an intracellular neutral TG lipase identified in murine adipocytes. To explore the transcriptional expression rule of TGH gene in porcine adipose tissue, mRNA levels of TGH and HSL genes in variously located adipose tissue from pigs in different types, growth stage were assessed by semiquantitative RT-PCR. The results showed that TGH mRNA level was significantly higher in adipose tissue of lean pigs than those of obese and crossbreed ones, and also higher in piglets at birth than mature pigs. On the other hand, the abundance of TGH mRNA increased in the order as subcutaneous, peritoneal and visceral fat. All these variances of TGH gene expression were in accordance with that of HSL gene. To elucidate the time sequence variety of TGH gene expression during the adipocytes differentiation, preadipocytes isolated from adipose tissue of 1-3 day-old piglets were induced to differentiate and the differentiation state was confirmed by Oil Red O staining. The results of TGH gene expression determination showed that instead of expressing in preadipocytes, TGH mRNA expressed in differentiating adipocytes and the level reached its peak at 4 d after differentiation induction, which was earlier than that of HSL mRNA did. These data indicated that TGH gene expression was related to the site of adipose tissue, economic type, and age of pig as well as differentiating state of adipocyte, implying that TGH might play a major role in the basic lipolysis of adipose.