RIN2 reveals a novel role in regulating proliferation and early adipogenesis of chicken preadipocytes

Adipose tissue accumulation represents a significant challenge to both human metabolic health and agricultural productivity. While Ras and Rab Interactor 2 ( RIN2 ) has been characterized as a Rab5 effector protein, its precise role in adipogenesis remains poorly defined. Here, we identified RIN2 as a novel critical regulator of adipogenesis in chicken. We found that RIN2 was 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 that RIN2 overexpression enhances cellular proliferation, cell cycle progression, and adipogenic differentiation, whereas RIN2 knockdown produced contrasting inhibitory effects. Transcriptomic profiling uncovered that RIN2 functions through modulation of the cholesterol metabolic pathway and promotes fatty acid metabolism. Most notably, in vivo knockdown of RIN2 specifically reduced abdominal fat deposition without compromising other carcass characteristics. In summary, our findings identify RIN2 as a key regulator of fat accumulation and highlight its potential as a genetic target for improving poultry carcass composition.