miR-377-3p regulates adipogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by regulating LIFR

• DOI: 10.1007/s11010-018-3366-0
• Publication Date: 2018-06-29T07:25:37Z
• Authors: Xingnuan Li; Yaofang Yang; Ruiqiao Yan; Xiaoyuan Xu; Liyun Gao; Jun Mei; Jianyun Liu; Xinping Wang; Jie Zhang; Ping Wu; Weidong Li; Zhijun Zhao; Jianjun Xiong; Tao Wang
• Keywords: MicroRNAs; 0303 health sciences; 03 medical and health sciences; Adipogenesis; Leukemia Inhibitory Factor Receptor alpha Subunit; Humans; Bone Marrow Cells; Cell Differentiation; Mesenchymal Stem Cells; 3' Untranslated Regions; Cell Line

MicroRNAs are members of the family of non-coding small RNAs that regulate gene expression either by inhibiting mRNA translation or by promoting mRNA degradation at the post-transcriptional level. They play an important role in the differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) into adipocytes. However, the role of microRNAs in this process remains to be poorly understood. Here, we observed that miR-377-3p expression was markedly decreased during adipogenic differentiation of hMSCs. Overexpression of miR-377-3p decreased adipocyte differentiation and downregulated the expression of adipogenic markers. Meanwhile, bioinformatics-based studies suggested that LIFR is a target of miR-377-3p. Further analysis confirmed that expression of LIFR present markedly increased during adipogenic differentiation of hMSCs. In addition, downregulation expression of LIFR significantly inhibited the process of adipocyte differentiation. To confirm the relation between miR-377-3p and LIFR, luciferase reporter assays were carried out. The results indicated that miR-377-3p bound directly to the 3'-untranslated region of LIFR. These data indicate that miR-377-3p suppressed adipogenesis of hMSCs by targeting LIFR, which provides novel insights into the molecular mechanism of miRNA-mediated cellular differentiation.