Abstract
BackgroundPhysiological processes aiding the conversion of muscle to meat involve many genes associated with muscle structure and metabolic processes. MicroRNAs regulate networks of genes to orchestrate cellular functions, in turn regulating phenotypes.ResultsWe applied weighted gene co-expression network analysis to identify co-expression modules that correlated to meat quality phenotypes and were highly enriched for genes involved in glucose metabolism, response to wounding, mitochondrial ribosome, mitochondrion, and extracellular matrix. Negative correlation of miRNA with mRNA and target prediction were used to select transcripts out of the modules of trait-associated mRNAs to further identify those genes that are correlated with post mortem traits.ConclusionsPorcine muscle co-expression transcript networks that correlated to post mortem traits were identified. The integration of miRNA and mRNA expression analyses, as well as network analysis, enabled us to interpret the differentially-regulated genes from a systems perspective. Linking co-expression networks of transcripts and hierarchically organized pairs of miRNAs and mRNAs to meat properties yields new insight into several biological pathways underlying phenotype differences. These pathways may also be diagnostic for many myopathies, which are accompanied by deficient nutrient and oxygen supply of muscle fibers.
Highlights
Physiological processes aiding the conversion of muscle to meat involve many genes associated with muscle structure and metabolic processes
The integration of micro RNAs (miRNAs) and mRNA expression analyses as well as network analysis enabled us to interpret the differentially-regulated genes from a systems perspective, yielding new insight into several biological pathways underlying phenotypic differences
Meat quality and carcass traits phenotypes Elucidating the relationships between genes and how these genes, in turn, influence muscle metabolic and structural properties is critical for developing a comprehensive understanding of the muscle to meat process as well as muscle pathologic and regenerative processes related to muscle atrophy, dystrophy and hypoxia
Summary
Physiological processes aiding the conversion of muscle to meat involve many genes associated with muscle structure and metabolic processes. Energy, and oxygen supply-and-demand in muscle cells is evident following cardiac muscle or skeletal muscle attack, injury, or damage The consequences of these imbalances depend on muscle structure and metabolism and, the muscle’s entire complement of proteins and their expression patterns. I.e., termination of nutrient and energy supplies and anoxia, occur in muscle cells post mortem. These changes underlie the conversion of muscle to meat in food production. The physiological processes accompanying the change of muscle to meat involve expression of many genes associated with muscle structure and metabolic features [1,2].
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