Identification of differentially expressed genes and pathways between intramuscular and abdominal fat-derived preadipocyte differentiation of chickens in vitro

Meng Zhang,Rui-Li Han,Rui-Rui Jiang,Fang Li,Xiang-Fei Ma,Zi-Yi Li,Xiang-Tao Kang,Yan-Bin Wang,Wen-Ting Li,Gui-Rong Sun,Ya-Dong Tian,Guo-Xi Li

doi:10.1186/s12864-019-6116-0

Abstract

BackgroundThe distribution and deposition of fat tissue in different parts of the body are the key factors affecting the carcass quality and meat flavour of chickens. Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is an important factor associated with meat quality, while abdominal fat (AbF) is regarded as one of the main factors affecting poultry slaughter efficiency. To investigate the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and molecular regulatory mechanisms related to adipogenic differentiation between IMF- and AbF-derived preadipocytes, we analysed the mRNA expression profiles in preadipocytes (0d, Pre-) and adipocytes (10d, Ad-) from IMF and AbF of Gushi chickens.ResultsAbF-derived preadipocytes exhibited a higher adipogenic differentiation ability (96.4% + 0.6) than IMF-derived preadipocytes (86.0% + 0.4) (p < 0.01). By Ribo-Zero RNA sequencing, we obtained 4403 (2055 upregulated and 2348 downregulated) and 4693 (2797 upregulated and 1896 downregulated) DEGs between preadipocytes and adipocytes in the IMF and Ad groups, respectively. For IMF-derived preadipocyte differentiation, pathways related to the PPAR signalling pathway, ECM-receptor interaction and focal adhesion pathway were significantly enriched. For AbF-derived preadipocyte differentiation, the steroid biosynthesis pathways, calcium signaling pathway and ECM-receptor interaction pathway were significantly enriched. A large number of DEGs related to lipid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism and preadipocyte differentiation, such as PPARG, ACSBG2, FABP4, FASN, APOA1 and INSIG1, were identified in our study.ConclusionThis study revealed large transcriptomic differences between IMF- and AbF-derived preadipocyte differentiation. A large number of DEGs and transcription factors that were closely related to fatty acid metabolism, lipid metabolism and preadipocyte differentiation were identified in the present study. Additionally, the microenvironment of IMF- and AbF-derived preadipocyte may play a significant role in adipogenic differentiation. This study provides valuable evidence to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying adipogenesis and fat deposition in chickens.

Highlights

The distribution and deposition of fat tissue in different parts of the body are the key factors affecting the carcass quality and meat flavour of chickens
Our results revealed that many genes related to lipid metabolism, such as matrix metallopeptidase 2 (MMP2), extracellular fatty acid-binding protein (EXFABP), CD36 molecule (CD36), prostaglandin D2 synthase (PTGDS), chondroadherin (CHAD), laminin alpha 2 (LAMA2), bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) and collagen type VI alpha 1 chain (COL6A1), were predominantly expressed in Intramuscular fat (IMF) adipocytes, whereas apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1), fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), perilipin 2 (PLIN2), fatty acid synthetase (FASN), pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4), collagen type IV alpha 1 chain (COL4A1) and glycerol3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1-like 2 (GPD1L2) were highly expressed in abdominal fat (AbF) adipocytes; these findings suggest that these genes might be involved in tissue-specific fat deposition in chickens
Further studies are necessary for to elucidate the Conclusions In conclusion, our current study showed that abdominal fat (AbF) preadipocytes accumulate more lipids than intramuscular fat (IMF) preadipocytes

Summary

Introduction

The distribution and deposition of fat tissue in different parts of the body are the key factors affecting the carcass quality and meat flavour of chickens. Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is an important factor associated with meat quality, while abdominal fat (AbF) is regarded as one of the main factors affecting poultry slaughter efficiency. Intramuscular fat (IMF) content, an important factor influencing meat quality, contributes to multiple meat quality characteristics, such as flavour, tenderness and juiciness [1,2,3]. A higher growth rate induces larger fiber diameters and lower IMF deposition, which severely deteriorates the quality of meat [4, 5]. The overemphasis on selection for a rapid growth rate leads to excessive fat accumulation, especially AbF accumulation [6]. Reducing the levels of AbF and increasing the levels of IMF have become a major breeding goals in the chickens industry [6, 9]

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Discussion

Conclusion