MIR221HG Is a Novel Long Noncoding RNA that Inhibits Bovine Adipocyte Differentiation

Adipogenesis is a complicated but precisely orchestrated process mediated by a series of transcription factors. Our previous study has identified a novel long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) that was differentially expressed during bovine adipocyte differentiation. Because this lncRNA overlaps with miR-221 in the genome, it was named miR-221 host gene (MIR221HG). The purpose of this study was to clone the full length of MIR221HG, detect its subcellular localization, and determine the effects of MIR221HG on bovine adipocyte differentiation. The 5′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and 3′ RACE analyses demonstrated that MIR221HG is a transcript of 1064 nucleotides, is located on the bovine X chromosome, and contains a single exon. Bioinformatics analyses suggested that MIR221HG is an lncRNA and the promoter of MIR221HG includes the binding consensus sequences of the forkhead box C1 (FOXC1) and krüppel-like factor5 (KLF5). The semi-quantitative PCR and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) of nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions revealed that MIR221HG mainly resides in the nucleus. Inhibition of MIR221HG significantly increased adipocyte differentiation, as indicated by a dramatic increment in the number of mature adipocytes and in the expression of the respective adipogenic markers, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα), and fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4). Our results provide a basis for elucidating the mechanism by which MIR221HG regulates adipocyte differentiation.