LncRNA RRP12-AS regulates UCP1-mediated lipid metabolism through hnRNPA1 and the identification of a functionally conserved human homolog

  • J Nutr Biochem. 2026 Jun 4:157:110435. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2026.110435.
Guoze Wang  1 ,  Yi Wang  2 ,  Jiaqiang Luo  2 ,  Jiahao Shao  3 ,  Xiangbing Zuo  4 ,  Kun Du  5 ,  Songjia Lai  6
Affiliations
  • 1. School of Public Health, Guizhou Provincial Engineering Research Center of Ecological Food Innovation, The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 2. School of Public Health, Guizhou Provincial Engineering Research Center of Ecological Food Innovation, The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China.
  • 3. College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Herbivore Science/Chongqing Key Laboratory of Forage and Herbivore, College of Animal Science and Technology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
  • 4. Grassland Research Institute of Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang.
  • 5. College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China; College of Life Science and Technology, Mianyang Normal University, Mianyang, China.
  • 6. College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
PMID: 42248307 DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2026.110435
Abstract

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators of adipogenesis and energy metabolism, but their roles in visceral fat deposition remain incompletely understood. Here, we investigated the function of the rabbit lncRNA RRP12-AS and evaluated the conservation of its human homolog using in vitro and in vivo gain- and loss-of-function models. RRP12-AS promoted rabbit adipocyte proliferation but inhibited adipogenic differentiation, while in vivo overexpression reduced perirenal fat hypertrophy and improved lipid metabolic parameters. Mechanistically, RRP12-AS interacted with hnRNPA1 and enhanced UCP1 expression by regulating UCP1 mRNA stability and translation efficiency, thereby promoting thermogenesis in adipose tissue. In addition, the human homolog H-RRP12-AS showed similar regulatory effects on cellular lipid metabolism. Together, these findings identify RRP12-AS as a regulator of visceral fat metabolism through the hnRNPA1/UCP1 axis and suggest its potential relevance as a therapeutic target for central obesity.

Keywords
Homolog; Lipid metabolism; LncRNA; UCP1; hnRNPA1.
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