Analysis and preliminary validation of the molecular mechanism of fat deposition in fatty and lean pigs by high-throughput sequencing

Abstract

Fat deposition in muscle includes intramuscular fat (IMF) and intermuscular fat. IMF content is an index of pork quality; however, because IMF content is difficult to measure in vivo in young animals, conventional breeding for IMF content is difficult to carry out. The mechanism and progression of animal fat deposition is not well understood, and there are currently no effective control methods. In this study, using Laiwu and large white pigs as the research subjects and RNA sequencing technology, we analyzed the genetic mechanism of animal fat deposition in pigs. Specifically, we analyzed the features of lncRNAs and their potential target genes. We obtained 464 million clean reads, from which 907 lncRNAs were identified. The cis and trans analysis identified target genes, including genes that were upregulated (286) and downregulated (621) in the fatty and lean pigs. ENSSSCG00000008692_ADD1, ENSSSCG00000023124_ADD1 and ENSSSCG00000005918_DGAT1 were validated as target genes of the lncRNAs and were shown to be closely related to fat deposition. These results provide a basis for studying the different metabolic lncRNA expression of IMF deposition. In addition, as the valuable model animal to study the mechanisms of obesity, pigs may represent a new avenue for studying human obesity.

Identification and functional prediction of long noncoding RNAs related to intramuscular fat content in Laiwu pigs

“…The Laiwu pig is an excellent breed raised in China with a high IMF content. Several previous studies concerning IMF content have been reported; however, most of these studies were performed to compare the difference between two breeds of pigs [14,20,21] to investigate DEGs associated with IMF deposition. However, in animal production, we found that IMF content varies vastly among individual Laiwu pigs.…”

The role of long noncoding RNAs in livestock adipose tissue deposition

“…Similar to studies on lncRNAs in cattle, there are also numerous high-throughput sequencing studies comparing different pig species. For example, researchers found DEGs between Jinhua and Landrace pigs [73] and Laiwu and Large White pigs [74] . Although these studies have identified differentially expressed candidate lncRNAs related to adipose tissue accumulation, there are still some drawbacks.…”

Multi-Omics Approaches and Radiation on Lipid Metabolism in Toothed Whales

“…Regarding mammalian adipose tissue transcriptomes, fatty acid synthesis in pigs has been described compared to other tissues [67][68][69]. Studies of intramuscular fat (IMF) in pigs have identified potential genes and signaling pathways, such as AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which plays a critical role in controlling lipid metabolism [70,71] and incRNA expression of IMF deposition [68]. In cattle, global transcriptomes in adipogenesis have given insights into the regulation of bovine adipogenic differentiation [72].…”