SUN-584 Micrornas in Brown and White Adipocytes

Two types of adipose tissue exist: white (WAT) and brown (BAT). WAT stores energy while BAT consumes fatty acids and produces heat by non-shivering thermogenesis through Uncoupling Protein 1 (UCP1). BAT and WAT cooperate in maintaining energy homeostasis balance. Understanding their physiology is important for the development of treatments against diseases where this equilibrium is compromised, such as obesity and associated metabolic disorders. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are potent gene regulators and an increasing body of evidence suggests their involvement in adipogenesis and adipose metabolism. MiRNAs can also be secreted into the extracellular environment and be taken up by distal cells, mediating cell-to-cell communication. However, very little is known about adipose tissue-derived circulating miRNAs. Through miRNA PCR array analysis we identified several miRNAs that are differentially secreted among undifferentiated and differentiated brown and white adipocytes, such as miR-196a, 378a-3p and miR-138-5p. Bioinformatics target prediction revealed that these miRNAs are potentially involved in important processes regulating the functioning of adipose tissue and its cross-talk with distal cells. Among the predicted targets of miR-196a, we identified ADAM10 (A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase Domain-containing protein 10). This protein is responsible for the proteolytic release of several cell-surface proteins involved in numerous biological processes such as inflammation and its role could be of relevant importance in the physiopathology of the adipose tissues.