MiR‐330‐5p negatively regulates ovine preadipocyte differentiation by targeting branched‐chain aminotransferase 2

The differentiation of preadipocytes into adipose tissues is tightly regulated by various factors including microRNAs and cytokines. This article aims to study the effect of miR‐330‐5p on expression of BCAT2 in ovine preadipocytes. Ovine preadipocytes were isolated, and we found that the miR‐330‐5p expression decreased gradually during the early differentiation of ovine preadipocytes, while BCAT2 expression increased. BCAT2 was identified as a direct target of miR‐330‐5p, ectopic expression of miR‐330‐5p could change the expression of both BCAT2 mRNA and protein. Silencing BCAT2 had the same inhibition effects as overexpressing miR‐330‐5p on the preadipocyte differentiation, but overexpressing BCAT2 had the converse effects. Taken together, we demonstrated that miR‐330‐5p is a negative regulator of differentiation by targeting BCAT2, and clarified the role of BCAT2 and miR‐330‐5p during preadipocyte differentiation.