miRNA regulation of white and brown adipose tissue differentiation and function

Obesity and metabolic disorders are a major health concern in all developed countries and a primary focus of current medical research is to improve our understanding treatment of metabolic diseases. One avenue of research that has attracted a great deal of recent interest focuses upon understanding the role of miRNAs in the development of metabolic diseases. miRNAs have been shown to be dysregulated in a number of different tissues under conditions of obesity and insulin resistance, and have been demonstrated to be important regulators of a number of critical metabolic functions, including insulin secretion in the pancreas, lipid and glucose metabolism in the liver, and nutrient signaling in the hypothalamus. In this review we will focus on the important role of miRNAs in regulating the differentiation and function of white and brown adipose tissue and the potential importance of this for maintaining metabolic function and treating metabolic diseases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: MicroRNAs and lipid/energy metabolism and related diseases edited by Carlos Fernández-Hernando and Yajaira Suárez.