CircMAPK9 promotes adipogenesis through modulating hsa-miR-1322/FTO axis in obesity

Shuai Chen; Peng Song; Yu Wang; Zeng Wang; Jiaming Xue; Yicheng Jiang; Yan Zhou; Jie Zhao; Liming Tang

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.107756

CircMAPK9 promotes adipogenesis through modulating hsa-miR-1322/FTO axis in obesity

iScience. 2023 Aug 28;26(10):107756. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107756. eCollection 2023 Oct 20.

Authors

Shuai Chen¹, Peng Song¹, Yu Wang¹, Zeng Wang¹, Jiaming Xue¹, Yicheng Jiang¹, Yan Zhou¹, Jie Zhao¹, Liming Tang¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Affiliated Changzhou No.2 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China.

Abstract

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a special category of non-coding RNA that has garnered increasing attention in the exploration of lipid metabolism. However, the functional regulation mechanisms of circRNAs in obesity diseases remain unclear. By whole transcriptome sequencing, a total of 164 circular RNAs were found to exhibit differential expression between lean and obese individuals. RT-qPCR was used to detect significant expression of circMAPK9 in obese individuals, and it was closely related to BMI. Western blot, triglyceride detection, and Oil Red O staining were employed to investigate the role of circMAPK9/hsa-miR-1322/FTO in adipogenesis. In adipocytes, the connection between hsa-miR-1322 and circMAPK9 was verified using fluorescence in situ hybridization, luciferase reporter assay, and RNA immunoprecipitation. It was found that circMAPK9 competed for binding hsa-miR-1322 in the cytoplasm, weakening the inhibitory effect on FTO and promoting adipogenesis. Our study revealed the regulatory mechanism and important role of circMAPK9 in the process of adipogenesis.

Keywords: Molecular biology experimental approach; Molecular network; Specialized functions of cells; Transcriptomics.