Abstract
Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is an important indicator for meat quality evaluation. However, the key genes and molecular regulatory mechanisms affecting IMF deposition remain unclear. In the present study, we identified 75 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the higher (H) and lower (L) IMF content of pigs using transcriptome analysis, of which 27 were upregulated and 48 were downregulated. Notably, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis indicated that the DEG perilipin-1 (PLIN1) was significantly enriched in the fat metabolism-related peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway. Furthermore, we determined the expression patterns and functional role of porcine PLIN1. Our results indicate that PLIN1 was highly expressed in porcine adipose tissue, and its expression level was significantly higher in the H IMF content group when compared with the L IMF content group, and expression was increased during adipocyte differentiation. Additionally, our results confirm that PLIN1 knockdown decreases the triglyceride (TG) level and lipid droplet (LD) size in porcine adipocytes. Overall, our data identify novel candidate genes affecting IMF content and provide new insight into PLIN1 in porcine IMF deposition and adipocyte differentiation.
Highlights
Intramuscular fat (IMF), corresponding to pork marbling, refers to the fat located within muscles, which is associated with the number and size of intramuscular adipocytes [1]
We further demonstrated that the candidate gene, PLIN1, is involved in the regulation of IMF content in pigs, and can regulate triglyceride (TG) level and lipid droplet (LD) size in porcine adipocytes
The results show that the mean and standard deviation of IMF content for the entire pig population were 2.64% and 0.91%, respectively
Summary
Intramuscular fat (IMF), corresponding to pork marbling, refers to the fat located within muscles, which is associated with the number and size of intramuscular adipocytes [1]. Previous studies have indicated that IMF is closely related to flavor, juiciness, and tenderness [2,3]; lower IMF content results in dry and less-flavorful meat, and IMF content is positively associated with sensory quality traits of meat and consumer acceptability [4]. When IMF content increases from 1 to 3%, sensory quality is significantly improved [5]. The average IMF content of longissimus dorsi muscle is about 2% in many lean pig breeds [8,9,10]. A previous study indicated that consumer preference for appearance in pork is strongly associated with IMF content [11], improving IMF content has become an important objective in modern pig breeding programs [12]
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