Gene expression profile of selenoproteins in an obese pig model induced by a high‐fat diet

Abstract

This study was to develop an obese porcine model and to determine effects of obesity on gene expression of the 25 selenoproteins. A total of 20 crossbred, castrated boars (20 kg body weight) were fed a corn‐soy basal diet (Se adequate, total fat < 0.82%) or the diet added with lard at 3% (20–50 kg), 5% (50–80 kg), or 7% (> 80 kg) for 6 months. In the end, pigs fed the high fat diet showed greater (P < 0.05) body weight (146 vs. 121 kg), back fat thickness (3.5 vs. 2.3 cm), and abdominal fat content (3.5 vs. 1.9 kg), along with hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, compared with the control pigs. The obese pigs had greater (P < 0.05) mRNA levels of gpx6, selV, and selW in skeletal muscle, selK and selO in thyroid, sps2 in perirenal fat tissue, selT in kidney, and gpx4 in hypothalamus than the control pigs. In contrast, the opposite was true for the mRNA levels of selI and selT in pituitary, selI in the skeletal muscle, gpx1, sel15, selW, and selX in perirenal fat tissue, selI in subcutaneous fat tissue, and selH, selO, and selV in heart. In conclusion, the high fat diet‐induced obesity up‐regulated the expression of 8 selenoproteins and down‐regulated that of 9 selenoproteins in various tissues of pigs, implying a potential link between the two events. (NSFC Projects 30628019, 30700585, and 30871844, and the Chang Jiang Scholars Program).