The carcass and meat quality traits of pig breeds living at three different altitudes (Yorkshire pigs, YP: 500m; Qingyu Pigs, QYP: 1500m; Tibetan pigs, TP: 2500m) were compared. It was observed that there are obvious differences in pig breeds with respect to performance parameters. Specifically, YP had the best carcass traits, showing high slaughter rates and leanest meat. Conversely, QYP had the highest back fat thickness and intramuscular fat (IMF) content. For the high-altitude breed TP, the animals exhibited low L* and high a* values. The genotypes contributing to the observed phenotypes were supported by a PCR analysis. The glycolytic genes expression (HK, PFK, PK) were highest in YP, whereas expression of genes related to adipogenesis (C/EBPα, FABP4, SCD1) were highest in QYP. As expected, genes associated with angiogenesis and hypoxia (HIF1a, VEGFA) were expressed at the highest levels in TP. The composition and proportion of amino and fatty acids in pig muscles at the three altitudes examined also varied substantially. Among the breeds, TP had the highest proportion of umami amino acids, whereas QYP had the highest proportion of sweet amino acids. However, TP also exhibited the highest proportion of essential fatty acids and the lowest proportion of n6:n3. This study explains the high-altitude adaptive evolution and the formation of meat quality differences in different altitude pigs from various angles and provides a reference for local pork food processing and genetic improvement of local pigs.

Most cancers rely disproportionately on glycolysis for energy even in the presence of adequate oxygen supply, a condition known as "aerobic glycolysis", or the "Warburg effect". Pyruvate dehydrogenase E1a subunit (PDHA1) is one of main factors for metabolic switch from oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to aerobic glycolysis and has been suggested to be closely associated with tumorigenesis. Here we observed that PDHA1 protein was reduced in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens by immunohistochemistry and western blot, which was significantly associated with poor overall survival. To further analyze the function of PDHA1 in cancer cells, it was up-regulated in HCC cell line SMMC-7721 and HepG2. The results demonstrated that overexpression of PDHA1 gene inhibited aerobic glycolysis with lower lactate via increased PDH activity, meanwhile mitochondrial OXPHOS was enhanced accompanied with higher ATP and lower glucose consumption. We also found that apoptosis was promoted and intrinsic pathway proteins was increased in PDHA1 overexpressing cells. Collectively, our data indicate that reduced PDHA1 protein expression is associated with poor clinical outcome HCC cancers. Up-regulated PDHA1 gene expression can inhibit Warburg effect and enhanced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway.

Genistein may regulate lipid metabolism in adipose tissue of obese mice by regulating the expression of miR-222 and its target genes, BTG2 and adipor1.

No abstract