MiR-143 enhances adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells through targeting the coding region of mouse pleiotrophin.

Adipogenic differentiation of preadipocytes is a complex process regulated by various factors including miRNAs and cytokines. MiR-143 is a well known miRNA that enhances adipogenesis. Pleiotrophin (PTN), a heparin-binding growth factor, plays a negative role in adipogenesis. In this investigation, we demonstrate that PTN is a target gene of miR-143 during adipogenic differentiation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. MiR-143 down regulates PTN expression through interaction with a target site of miR-143 in the coding region of mouse PTN. The rare codons upstream of the target site regulate miR143-induced translational knockdown of PTN, which provides more insight into the mechanism of adipogenic differentiation.