Transcriptome analysis of perirenal fat from Spanish Assaf suckling lamb carcasses showing different levels of kidney knob and channel fat
IntroductionSuckling lamb meat is highly appreciated in European Mediterranean countries because of its mild flavor and soft texture. In suckling lamb carcasses, perirenal and pelvic fat depots account for a large fraction of carcass fat accumulation, and their proportions are used as an indicator o...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1150996/full |
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| author | María Alonso-García Aroa Suárez-Vega Pablo A. S. Fonseca Héctor Marina Rocío Pelayo Javier Mateo Juan-José Arranz Beatriz Gutiérrez-Gil |
| author_facet | María Alonso-García Aroa Suárez-Vega Pablo A. S. Fonseca Héctor Marina Rocío Pelayo Javier Mateo Juan-José Arranz Beatriz Gutiérrez-Gil |
| author_sort | María Alonso-García |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionSuckling lamb meat is highly appreciated in European Mediterranean countries because of its mild flavor and soft texture. In suckling lamb carcasses, perirenal and pelvic fat depots account for a large fraction of carcass fat accumulation, and their proportions are used as an indicator of carcass quality.Material and MethodsThis study aimed to characterize the genetic mechanisms that regulate fat deposition in suckling lambs by evaluating the transcriptomic differences between Spanish Assaf lambs with significantly different proportions of kidney knob and channel fat (KKCF) depots in their carcasses (4 High-KKCF lambs vs. 4 Low-KKCF lambs).ResultsThe analyzed fat tissue showed overall dominant expression of white adipose tissue gene markers, although due to the young age of the animals (17–36 days), the expression of some brown adipose tissue gene markers (e.g., UCP1, CIDEA) was still identified. The transcriptomic comparison between the High-KKCF and Low-KKCF groups revealed a total of 80 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The enrichment analysis of the 49 DEGs with increased expression levels in the Low-KKCF lambs identified significant terms linked to the biosynthesis of lipids and thermogenesis, which may be related to the higher expression of the UCP1 gene in this group. In contrast, the enrichment analysis of the 31 DEGs with increased expression in the High-KKCF lambs highlighted angiogenesis as a key biological process supported by the higher expression of some genes, such as VEGF-A and THBS1, which encode a major angiogenic factor and a large adhesive extracellular matrix glycoprotein, respectively.DiscussionThe increased expression of sestrins, which are negative regulators of the mTOR complex, suggests that the preadipocyte differentiation stage is being inhibited in the High-KKCF group in favor of adipose tissue expansion, in which vasculogenesis is an essential process. All of these results suggest that the fat depots of the High-KKCF animals are in a later stage of development than those of the Low-KKCF lambs. Further genomic studies based on larger sample sizes and complementary analyses, such as the identification of polymorphisms in the DEGs, should be designed to confirm these results and achieve a deeper understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying fat deposition in suckling lambs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T12:38:52Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-1769 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T12:38:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-934d9cdb80e24dff9ddf4d0a6ba66db62023-05-15T04:45:45ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692023-05-011010.3389/fvets.2023.11509961150996Transcriptome analysis of perirenal fat from Spanish Assaf suckling lamb carcasses showing different levels of kidney knob and channel fatMaría Alonso-García0Aroa Suárez-Vega1Pablo A. S. Fonseca2Héctor Marina3Rocío Pelayo4Javier Mateo5Juan-José Arranz6Beatriz Gutiérrez-Gil7Departemento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, León, SpainDepartemento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, León, SpainDepartemento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, León, SpainDepartemento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, León, SpainDepartemento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, León, SpainDepartamento de Higiene y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, León, SpainDepartemento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, León, SpainDepartemento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, León, SpainIntroductionSuckling lamb meat is highly appreciated in European Mediterranean countries because of its mild flavor and soft texture. In suckling lamb carcasses, perirenal and pelvic fat depots account for a large fraction of carcass fat accumulation, and their proportions are used as an indicator of carcass quality.Material and MethodsThis study aimed to characterize the genetic mechanisms that regulate fat deposition in suckling lambs by evaluating the transcriptomic differences between Spanish Assaf lambs with significantly different proportions of kidney knob and channel fat (KKCF) depots in their carcasses (4 High-KKCF lambs vs. 4 Low-KKCF lambs).ResultsThe analyzed fat tissue showed overall dominant expression of white adipose tissue gene markers, although due to the young age of the animals (17–36 days), the expression of some brown adipose tissue gene markers (e.g., UCP1, CIDEA) was still identified. The transcriptomic comparison between the High-KKCF and Low-KKCF groups revealed a total of 80 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The enrichment analysis of the 49 DEGs with increased expression levels in the Low-KKCF lambs identified significant terms linked to the biosynthesis of lipids and thermogenesis, which may be related to the higher expression of the UCP1 gene in this group. In contrast, the enrichment analysis of the 31 DEGs with increased expression in the High-KKCF lambs highlighted angiogenesis as a key biological process supported by the higher expression of some genes, such as VEGF-A and THBS1, which encode a major angiogenic factor and a large adhesive extracellular matrix glycoprotein, respectively.DiscussionThe increased expression of sestrins, which are negative regulators of the mTOR complex, suggests that the preadipocyte differentiation stage is being inhibited in the High-KKCF group in favor of adipose tissue expansion, in which vasculogenesis is an essential process. All of these results suggest that the fat depots of the High-KKCF animals are in a later stage of development than those of the Low-KKCF lambs. Further genomic studies based on larger sample sizes and complementary analyses, such as the identification of polymorphisms in the DEGs, should be designed to confirm these results and achieve a deeper understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying fat deposition in suckling lambs.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1150996/fulllambcarcass traitsperirenal fatfat depositiongene expressionRNA-seq |
| spellingShingle | María Alonso-García Aroa Suárez-Vega Pablo A. S. Fonseca Héctor Marina Rocío Pelayo Javier Mateo Juan-José Arranz Beatriz Gutiérrez-Gil Transcriptome analysis of perirenal fat from Spanish Assaf suckling lamb carcasses showing different levels of kidney knob and channel fat Frontiers in Veterinary Science lamb carcass traits perirenal fat fat deposition gene expression RNA-seq |
| title | Transcriptome analysis of perirenal fat from Spanish Assaf suckling lamb carcasses showing different levels of kidney knob and channel fat |
| title_full | Transcriptome analysis of perirenal fat from Spanish Assaf suckling lamb carcasses showing different levels of kidney knob and channel fat |
| title_fullStr | Transcriptome analysis of perirenal fat from Spanish Assaf suckling lamb carcasses showing different levels of kidney knob and channel fat |
| title_full_unstemmed | Transcriptome analysis of perirenal fat from Spanish Assaf suckling lamb carcasses showing different levels of kidney knob and channel fat |
| title_short | Transcriptome analysis of perirenal fat from Spanish Assaf suckling lamb carcasses showing different levels of kidney knob and channel fat |
| title_sort | transcriptome analysis of perirenal fat from spanish assaf suckling lamb carcasses showing different levels of kidney knob and channel fat |
| topic | lamb carcass traits perirenal fat fat deposition gene expression RNA-seq |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1150996/full |
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