reveals a novel role in regulating proliferation and early adipogenesis of chicken preadipocytes.

Abstract

Adipose tissue accumulation represents a significant challenge to both human metabolic health and agricultural productivity. While Ras and Rab Interactor 2 () has been characterized as a Rab5 effector protein, its precise role in adipogenesis remains poorly defined. Here, we identifiedas a novel critical regulator of adipogenesis in chicken. We found thatwas widely expressed across various tissues and dynamic expression patterns during adipocyte differentiation. Through comprehensive functional analyses in both ICP-1 cells and primary preadipocytes, we identified thatoverexpression enhances cellular proliferation, cell cycle progression, and adipogenic differentiation, whereasknockdown produced contrasting inhibitory effects. Transcriptomic profiling uncovered thatfunctions through modulation of the cholesterol metabolic pathway and promotes fatty acid metabolism. Most notably,knockdown ofspecifically reduced abdominal fat deposition without compromising other carcass characteristics. In summary, our findings identifyas a key regulator of fat accumulation and highlight its potential as a genetic target for improving poultry carcass composition.