Abstract
As a centre enzyme in fatty acid activation, acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 1 (ACSL1) plays an important role in body lipid homeostasis. However, the functions of ACSL1 in the subcutaneous adipogenesis of pigs are largely unknown. In the present study, we found that the expression of ACSL1 significantly increased during the process of porcine preadipocyte differentiation. Moreover, silencing of ACSL1 in preadipocytes decreased levels of triglyceride and adipogenic-related markers, including FABP4, APOE, and FASN (p < 0.01), and simultaneously increased levels of lipolytic-related markers, such as ATGL and HSL (p < 0.05). Conversely, overexpression of ACSL1 in preadipocytes increased levels of triglyceride and FABP4, APOE, and FASN (p < 0.01), and reduced levels of ATGL and HSL (p < 0.05). Luciferase reporter assays revealed that ACSL1 is a target of miR-218-5p, which can reduce the mRNA and protein levels of ACSL1 by directly binding the 3′ untranslated region of ACSL1. Furthermore, miR-218-5p has an inhibition role in porcine preadipocyte differentiation by suppressing ACSL1 expression. Taken together, these data provide insights into the mechanism of the miR-218-5p/ACSL1 axis in regulating subcutaneous fat deposition of pigs.
Highlights
Subcutaneous fat is one of the main factors affecting pig growth and meat quality.For obese pig breeds, such as most Chinese native pig breeds, excessive subcutaneous fat deposition becomes a major issue for the pig industry as it greatly increases the cost of feeding and production
As this gene is a key enzyme involved in fatty acid metabolism, we speculated that acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 1 (ACSL1) might play a role in the subcutaneous fat deposition of pigs
Our results showed that the expression levels of ACSL1 progressively increased during the process of porcine preadipocyte differentiation (Figure 1C), implying that ACSL1 might be involved in the regulation of subcutaneous adipogenesis
Summary
Subcutaneous fat is one of the main factors affecting pig growth and meat quality. For obese pig breeds, such as most Chinese native pig breeds, excessive subcutaneous fat deposition becomes a major issue for the pig industry as it greatly increases the cost of feeding and production. Studying the molecular mechanism of subcutaneous fat adipogenesis could provide the potential gene targets for improvement of the production efficiency and meat quality in the pig industry. As an essential material for adipogenesis, fatty acid can be metabolised in two different ways: decomposition into acetyl-CoA or merging into triacylglycerol and phospholipid, which contain a common starting step of fatty acid activation [7] This step requires the participation of the acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain (ACSL) family, which can transform long-chain fatty acids to fatty acyl-CoA esters. Our previous transcriptome data show that the expression of porcine ACSL1 is dramatically increased during the subcutaneous preadipocyte differentiation [12], suggesting that ACSL1 might be an important functional gene in subcutaneous adipogenesis of pigs. In this study, the mechanism of the ACSL1-miRNA axis in subcutaneous adipogenesis was investigated, providing a new clue for comprehending the subcutaneous fat adipogenesis of pigs
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
