MiR-146b is a regulator of human visceral preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation and its expression is altered in human obesity

Abstract

Visceral obesity is an independent risk factor for metabolic syndrome, and abnormal fat accumulation is linked to increases in the number and size of adipocytes. MiR-146b was a miRNA highly expressed in mature adipocytes while very lowly expressed in human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and human visceral preadipocytes (vHPA). In this paper, we mainly focused on the roles of miR-146b in adipogenesis. We found miR-146b could inhibit the proliferation of visceral preadipocytes and promote their differentiation. MiR-146b in human visceral adipocytes inhibited the expression of KLF7, a member of the Kruppel-like transcription factors, as demonstrated by a firefly luciferase reporter assay, indicating that KLF7 is a direct target of the endogenous miR-146b. MiR-146b expression was significantly altered in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues in human overweight and obese subjects, and in the epididymal fat tissues and brown fat tissues of diet-induced obese mice. Our data indicates that miR-146b may be a new therapeutic target against human visceral obesity and metabolic dysfunction.

Integrated Analysis of MiRNA and Genes Associated with Meat Quality Reveals that Gga-MiR-140-5p Affects Intramuscular Fat Deposition in Chickens

“…Among them, One hundred miRNAs were downregulated in late-laying-period hens, which suggested that those miRNAs may play important roles in gene upregulation. Previous studies demonstrated that miR-19b-3p [30], miR-425-5p [16], miR-27a [31], miR-146-5p [32], and miR-223 [33] influenced the differentiation of preadipocytes. We found that most of those miRNAs were DE miRNAs in the present study.…”

miRNA regulation of white and brown adipose tissue differentiation and function

“…This is the case for miR-146b, which has been demonstrated to impair pre-adipocyte proliferation, thus promoting the transition to terminal differentiation and enhancing adipogenesis through direct targeting of KLF7 [25]. These findings demonstrate that miRNAs play an important role in both the induction and conclusion of the clonal expansion phase of adipogenesis as part of a complex and tightly regulated series of events required for proper adipocyte differentiation.…”

Obesity, Type 1 Diabetes, and Psoriasis: An Autoimmune Triple Flip

“…miR-21 has been shown to play a central role in the differentiation and function of both white and brown adipose tissue, and it is positively correlated with BMI in subcutaneous adipose tissue [89] . In preadipocyte proliferation, miR-146b is able to promote the transition to terminal differentiation, thus enhancing adipogenesis [90] .…”