Table 1.

Direct roles of lncRNAs in regulating adipogenesis

lncRNA	Characteristics	Cell type/model	Functions in adipogenesis	References
Functional white adipocyte regulators
SRA	Polyadenylated; intergenic	3T3–L1; mouse marrow-derived ST2 cells	Promotes preadipocyte differentiation partly via coactivation of PPARγ	[14, 36]
lnc-RAP-n (n = 1–10)	Polyadenylated	Primary white adipocytes from mice	Promotes white preadipocyte differentiation; lnc-RAP-1 functions via binding to hnRNP-U	[13, 39]
slincRAD	Non-polyadenylated; intergenic; primarily in the nucleus	3T3–L1	Promotes preadipocyte differentiation with unknown mechanisms	[45]
PU.1 AS	Antisense	3T3–L1; primary porcine preadipocytes	Promotes adipogenesis through preventing PU.1 mRNA translation via binding to PU.1 mRNA	[42, 43]
HOTAIR	Antisense/intergenic	Primary preadipocytes from human	Promotes preadipocyte differentiation with unknown mechanisms	[34]
ADINR	Polyadenylated; bidirectional; exclusively in the nucleus	Human MSCs	Promotes adipogenesis by activating CEBPα	[46]
NEAT1	Exclusively in the nucleus	Primary mouse preadipocytes	Promotes adipogenesis with unknown mechanisms	[50]
Functional brown adipocyte regulators
Blnc1 (AK038898)	Polyadenylated; intergenic; primarily in the nucleus	Primary brown and beige preadipocytes from mice	Promotes brown and beige adipocyte differentiation and function via forming the EBF2 ribonucleoprotein complex	[33]
lnc-BATE-1	Polyadenylated; intergenic; similarly abundant in the cytoplasm and nucleus	Primary brown adipocytes from mice	Promotes brown adipogenesis possibly via forming a functional ribonucleoprotein complex with hnRNP-U	[51]