Fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 promotes proliferation and differentiation of goat adipose-derived stem cells.

Fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5) plays an important role in white-to-brown adipose tissue conversion in mice. However, there is no report on the role of this protein in Arbas Cashmere goat adipose tissue. We investigated the effect of FNDC5 on the proliferation and differentiation of goat adipose-derived stem cells (gADSCs). We found that FNDC5 promotes the proliferation of gADSCs and increases the levels of p-ERK and p-p38, while it has no effect on the levels of ERK, p38, AKT and p-AKT. What's more, FNDC5 promotes the differentiation of gADSCs into lipid droplets. Overexpression of FNDC5 increased the protein levels of ASC1, UCP1, PPARγ and SREBP1. Additionally, mRNA levels of PPARγ, SREBP1, ACC, and FABP4 increased significantly. FNDC5 knockdown was associated with opposite effects. These results suggest that FNDC5 promotes the proliferation of gADSCs via MAPK signaling pathway and also induces the differentiation of these cells.