Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emergingly been implicated in mammalian lipid metabolism. However, their biological functions and regulatory mechanisms underlying adipogenesis remain largely elusive in chicken. Here, we systematically characterized the genome-wide full-length lncRNAs in the livers of pre- and peak-laying hens, and identified a novel intergenic lncRNA, lncHLEF, an RNA macromolecule with a calculated molecular weight of 433 kDa. lncHLEF was primarily distributed in cytoplasm of chicken hepatocyte and significantly up-regulated in livers of peak-laying hens. Functionally, lncHLEF could promote hepatocyte lipid droplet formation, triglycerides and total cholesterol contents. Mechanistically, lncHLEF could not only serve as a competitive endogenous RNA to modulate miR-2188-3p/GATA6 axis, but also encode three small functional polypeptides that directly interact with ACLY protein to enable its stabilization. Importantly, adeno-associated virus-mediated liver-specific lncHLEF overexpression resulted in increased hepatic lipid synthesis and intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition, but did not alter abdominal fat (AbF) deposition. Furthermore, hepatocyte lncHLEF could be delivered into intramuscular and abdominal preadipocytes via hepatocyte-secreted exosome to enhance intramuscular preadipocytes differentiation without altering abdominal preadipocytes differentiation. In conclusion, this study revealed that the lncHLEF could promote hepatic lipid synthesis through two independent regulatory mechanisms, and could enhance IMF deposition via hepatocyte-adipocyte communications mediated by exosome.