Abstract
Abstract. As the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the peroxisomal β-oxidation pathway, acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 1 (ACOX1), which is regulated by peroxisome proliferator-activated alfa (PPARα), is vital for fatty acid oxidation and deposition, especially in the lipid metabolism of very long-chain fatty acids. Alternative splicing events of ACOX1 have been detected in rodents, Nile tilapia, zebra fish and humans but not in goats. Herein, we identified a novel splice variant of the ACOX1 gene, which was designated as ACOX1-SV1, in addition to the complete transcript, ACOX1, in goats. The length of the ACOX1-SV1 coding sequence was 1983 bp, which presented a novel exon 2 variation owing to alternative 5′-splice site selection in exon 2 and partial intron 1, compared to that in ACOX1. The protein sequence analysis indicated that ACOX1-SV1 was conserved across different species. Reverse-transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis showed that these two isoforms were expressed spatially and differently in different tissue types. ACOX1 and ACOX1-SV1 were expressed at high levels in liver, spleen, brain and adipose tissue in kid goats, and they were abundantly expressed in the fat, liver and spleen of adults. Interestingly, whether in kids or in adults, in fat, the mRNA level of ACOX1 was considerably higher than that of ACOX1-SV1. In contrast, in the liver, the expression of ACOX1-SV1 was considerably higher than that of ACOX1. This differential expression patterns showed the existence of a tissue-dependent splice regulation. These novel findings for ACOX1 should provide new insights for further studies on the function of ACOX1 and its variants that should aid in the breeding of goats with improved meat quality.
Highlights
Goat meat is expected to assume greater importance in the future owing to the rapidly growing world population and a steady increase in the consumption of this meat (Henchion et al, 2014); meat with better qualities and improved flavor is desirable and demanded by consumers
This type of evolution was demonstrated for the ACOX1 gene, a rate-limiting and relatively conserved enzyme in the peroxisomal fatty β-oxidation pathway
The ACOX1 transcripts were abundant in liver, adipose and kidney tissue
Summary
Goat meat is expected to assume greater importance in the future owing to the rapidly growing world population and a steady increase in the consumption of this meat (Henchion et al, 2014); meat with better qualities and improved flavor is desirable and demanded by consumers. The Fuqing goat breed is one of the finest local breeds found on the east coast of China and provides high-quality meat that is tender and has only a slight odor. Research on goat breeding for improving the quality of meat has lagged behind that on pork and beef. The peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation pathway, which is an essential metabolic pathway that operates in all eukaryotic cells (Kunau et al, 1995; Shi et al, 2016), is the main metabolic destination of very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) This pathway plays a key role in the infants of mammals, wherein lipids in the breast milk become the major source of energy (Ehara et al, 2015). This pathway is regulated directly by the peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor alfa (PPARα), which is a master transcriptional regulator of the fatty acid metabolism (Poirier et al, 2006)
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