RNA-Binding Proteins in the Regulation of Adipogenesis and Adipose Function

Pengpeng Zhang; Wenyan Wu; Chaofeng Ma; Chunyu Du; Yueru Huang; Haixia Xu; Cencen Li; Xiaofang Cheng; Ruijie Hao; Yongjie Xu

doi:10.3390/cells11152357

RNA-Binding Proteins in the Regulation of Adipogenesis and Adipose Function

Cells. 2022 Jul 31;11(15):2357. doi: 10.3390/cells11152357.

Authors

Pengpeng Zhang^{1

2}, Wenyan Wu^{1

2}, Chaofeng Ma³, Chunyu Du¹, Yueru Huang¹, Haixia Xu^{1

2}, Cencen Li^{1

2}, Xiaofang Cheng^{1

2}, Ruijie Hao^{1

2}, Yongjie Xu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China.
² Institute for Conservation and Utilization of Agro-Bioresources in Dabie Mountain, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China.
³ Xinyang Center for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Xinyang 464000, China.

Abstract

The obesity epidemic represents a critical public health issue worldwide, as it is a vital risk factor for many diseases, including type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease. Obesity is a complex disease involving excessive fat accumulation. Proper adipose tissue accumulation and function are highly transcriptional and regulated by many genes. Recent studies have discovered that post-transcriptional regulation, mainly mediated by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), also plays a crucial role. In the lifetime of RNA, it is bound by various RBPs that determine every step of RNA metabolism, from RNA processing to alternative splicing, nucleus export, rate of translation, and finally decay. In humans, it is predicted that RBPs account for more than 10% of proteins based on the presence of RNA-binding domains. However, only very few RBPs have been studied in adipose tissue. The primary aim of this paper is to provide an overview of RBPs in adipogenesis and adipose function. Specifically, the following best-characterized RBPs will be discussed, including HuR, PSPC1, Sam68, RBM4, Ybx1, Ybx2, IGF2BP2, and KSRP. Characterization of these proteins will increase our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of RBPs in adipogenesis and provide clues for the etiology and pathology of adipose-tissue-related diseases.

Keywords: RNA-binding protein; adipose; post-transcriptional regulation.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adipogenesis*
Adipose Tissue / metabolism
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* / genetics
Humans
Obesity / genetics
RNA / metabolism
RNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism

Substances

IGF2BP2 protein, human
PSPC1 protein, human
RBM4 protein, human
RNA-Binding Proteins
RNA

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31601167, 31972537), the Major Science and Technology Projects of Henan Province (201300111200), the Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province (212300410230), the Department of Education in Henan Province (21A230017), and the Nanhu Scholars Program of Xinyang Normal University.