# Irisin inhibits adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells through the SIRT1/RANBP2/FTO signaling axis and protects against osteoporosis

**Authors:** Junfei Chen, Jincheng Liu, Qingyang Fu, Mingyu Xu, Xu Zhai, Le Li, Wanlong Xu, Xinhui Wu, Kaidi Wang, Haipeng Si

PMC · DOI: 10.1038/s41420-026-02976-5 · Cell Death Discovery · 2026-02-25

## TL;DR

Irisin prevents fat cell formation in bone marrow stem cells, reducing osteoporosis risk through a specific signaling pathway.

## Contribution

The study identifies a novel SIRT1/RANBP2/FTO signaling axis through which irisin inhibits adipogenic differentiation of BMMSCs.

## Key findings

- Irisin inhibits adipogenic differentiation of BMMSCs in vitro and reduces bone loss in ovariectomized mice.
- SIRT1, activated by irisin, deacetylates RANBP2 to suppress FTO and PPARγ expression, inhibiting fat cell formation.
- Clinical data confirms irisin's relevance in osteoporosis and its protective role against bone marrow obesity.

## Abstract

Abnormal bone marrow obesity caused by the conversion of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) from osteoblast to adipocyte differentiation is one of the significant contributors to age and menopause-related osteoporosis (OP) development. Irisin, one of the myokines, has been reported to be involved in skeletal metabolic diseases, providing new insights into the pathogenesis of OP. However, the specific mechanism of irisin in adipogenic differentiation of BMMSCs has not been thoroughly explored. Clinical data from this study confirmed the expression of irisin in OP and its clinical significance. In addition, irisin inhibited adipogenic differentiation of BMMSCs in vitro and reduced bone loss and abnormal bone marrow obesity in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. Mechanistically, SIRT1 was identified as a downstream target of irisin, and activated SIRT1 inhibited the expression of FTO through deacetylating RANBP2, which downregulated the stability and expression of PPARγ. The current study revealed a novel molecular mechanism by which irisin mediated BMMSCs adipogenesis through the SIRT1/RANBP2/FTO signaling axis.

## Linked entities

- **Genes:** SIRT1 (sirtuin 1) [NCBI Gene 23411], RANBP2 (RAN binding protein 2) [NCBI Gene 5903], FTO (FTO alpha-ketoglutarate dependent dioxygenase) [NCBI Gene 79068], PPARG (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma) [NCBI Gene 5468]
- **Chemicals:** Irisin (PubChem CID 5281777)
- **Diseases:** osteoporosis (MONDO:0005298)
- **Species:** Mus musculus (taxon 10090)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** Ranbp2 (RAN binding protein 2) [NCBI Gene 19386] {aka A430087B05Rik, NUP358}, Pparg (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma) [NCBI Gene 19016] {aka Nr1c3, PPAR-gamma, PPAR-gamma2, PPARgamma, PPARgamma2}, Sirt1 (sirtuin 1) [NCBI Gene 93759] {aka SIR2L1, Sir2, Sir2a, Sir2alpha}, Fto (FTO alpha-ketoglutarate dependent dioxygenase) [NCBI Gene 26383] {aka mKIAA1752}
- **Diseases:** bone marrow obesity (MESH:D001855), bone loss (MESH:D001847), OP (MESH:D010024), skeletal metabolic diseases (MESH:D008659)
- **Chemicals:** Irisin (-)
- **Species:** Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090]

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

6 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12988873/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12988873