Differential roles of coding and non-coding transcripts in obesity: insights from RNA-seq analysis of Macaca fascicularis hepatocytes

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can regulate metabolism-associated genes and cooperate to activate obesity-related pathways. However, the role of lncRNAs in obesity-related diabetes is not clear. To address this, we analyzed the hepatic transcriptomes of diabetic and non-diabetic Cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Our findings demonstrate that coding and non-coding RNAs exhibit distinct patterns of expression, with coding mRNAs notably enriched for metabolic pathways and particularly lipid transport. At the same time, the expression of genes related to alcohol metabolism was suppressed in diabetic samples compared with normal samples. This study expands the understanding of the molecular underpinnings behind obesity and suggests possible avenues for precision treatment approaches that target metabolic diseases.