The long noncoding RNA MALAT1 modulates adipose loss in cancer-associated cachexia by suppressing adipogenesis through PPAR-γ

BACKGROUND: Cancer-associated cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome defined by progressive weight loss with ongoing loss of adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. Adipose loss occurs in the early stage of cachexia and is associated with reduced quality of life and survival time. Although numerous lncRNAs are regarded as novel regulators in adipose metabolism, the role of lncRNAs that selectively modulate the development of adipose loss in cachexia remains limited. METHODS: In this study, we analyzed microarray data of lncRNAs in adipose loss and further explored the function and mechanism of MALAT1 in adipose loss. First, we explored the expression and function of MALAT1 in adipose cell by quantitative PCR and RNA knockdown. Subsequently, the mechanism of MALAT1 involvement in adipose loss was analyzed via RNA-seq, bioinformatics analysis and reporter gene assay. Finally, we explored the clinical significance of MALAT1 through correlation analysis. RESULTS: Cellular experiments revealed that knocking down MALAT1 significantly inhibited the process of adipogenesis. RNA-seq data showed that numerous adipogenic genes were downregulated upon MALAT1 knockdown. A protein–protein interaction network analysis identified PPAR-γ as the central node transcription factor, the inhibition of which explains the downregulation of numerous adipogenic genes. A reporter gene assay suggested that MALAT1 can regulate the gene expression of PPAR-γ at the transcriptional level. Moreover, MALAT1 was weakly expressed in the subcutaneous white adipose tissue of cancer-associated cachexia patients and was related to low fat mass index and poor prognosis in cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that MALAT1 is associated with adipose loss in cancer-associated cachexia by regulating adipogenesis through PPAR-γ, which may potentially be a novel target for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer-associated cachexia in the clinic. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12986-021-00557-0.