miR-10b-5p regulates 3T3-L1 cells differentiation by targeting Apol6

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that have been proposed to control or fine-tune complex genetic pathways by post-transcriptional regulation of target genes. It was proved that numerous miRNAs have influence on the biology of adipocytes as well as on the function of adipose tissues. This study shows that miR-10b-5p expression was decreased in mice, rats, and human under obesity. In addition, the obtained results indicated that the expression level of miR-10b-5p was increased in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes without manifesting a significant role in 3T3-L1 cells proliferation. On the other hand, the downregulation of miR-10b-5p by the inhibitor played a role in 3T3-L1 cells differentiation and adipogenesis. Our results strongly suggest that Apol6 was the target gene of miR-10b-5p. The inhibition of miR-10b-5p promoted the differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells and adipogenesis by upregulating the Apol6 expression. Then, the upregulated Apol6 acted as an oncogene in certain obesity-related cancers. These results indicate that miR-10b-5p may have a therapeutic significance for obesity and obesity-related cancers.