miR-181a regulate porcine preadipocyte differentiation by targeting TGFBR1.

miRNAs have been shown to regulate a variety of biological process. It has been shown that miR-181a regulates porcine adipogenesis by targeting Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), but the overall functions of miR-181a in porcine preadipocyte differentiation remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the functions of miR-181a in porcine preadipocyte differentiation via the TGFβ/Smad pathway. The TargetScan program was used to predict miRNAs targeting TGFBR1, and miR-181a was selected as a candidate. To investigate the functions of miR-181a, miRNA mimics and inhibitors were used to overexpress or knockdown miR-181a, respectively. RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to measure the expression of aP2, PPARγ, C/EBPα and TGFBR1 in porcine preadipocytes. Lipid accumulation and adipocyte apoptosis were detected using Oil Red O staining and flow cytometry, respectively. Taken together, our results indicated that miR-181a promoted porcine preadipocyte differentiation by directly targeting TGFBR1.