Role of long non-coding RNAs in adipogenesis: State of the art and implications in obesity and obesity-associated diseases

Abstract

Obesity is an evolutionary, chronic, and relapsing disease that consists of a pathological accumulation of adipose tissue able to increase morbidity for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obstructive sleep apnea in adults, children, and adolescents. Despite intense research over the last 20 years, obesity remains today a disease with a complex and multifactorial etiology. Recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as interesting new regulators as different lncRNAs have been found to play a role in early and late phases of adipogenesis and to be implicated in obesity-associated complications onset. In this review, we discuss the most recent advances on the role of lncRNAs in adipocyte biology and in obesity-associated complications. Indeed, more and more researchers are focusing on investigating the underlying roles that these molecular modulators could play. Even if a significant number of evidence is correlation-based, with lncRNAs being differentially expressed in a specific disease, recent works are now focused on deeply analyzing how lncRNAs can effectively modulate the disease pathogenesis onset and progression. LncRNAs possibly represent new molecular markers useful in the future for both the early diagnosis and a prompt clinical management of patients with obesity.

Keywords: adipogenesis; lncRNAs; metabolic diseases; obesity.

FIGURE 1

LncRNAs can influence PPARγ's transcription and activity at multiple levels. Specifically, lncRNAs can modulate directly PPARγ by inhibiting DNA methylation. They can also selectively induce a different PPARγ mRNA splicing or sponge‐specific miRNAs which would sequester and lead to degradation of PPARγ's mRNA. They directly bind to the PPARγ protein being able to inhibit its activity through upregulation of the PPARγ repressor complex. Lastly, PPARγ itself can induce the expression of specific lncRNAs. Made in ©BioRender—biorender.com

FIGURE 2

Summary of lncRNAs upregulated or downregulated in specific cell types of patients with T2D. Made in ©BioRender—biorender.com