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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #325950
Title: Identification and characterization of long non-coding RNAs in subcutaneous adipose tissue from castrated and intact full-sib pair Huainan male pigs

Author
item WANG, JING - Henan Agricultural University
item ZHONG, JIA-QING - Henan Agricultural University
item CHEN, JUN-FENG - Henan Agricultural University
item GAO, BIN-WEN - Henan Agricultural University
item HUA, LIU-SHUAI - Henan Agricultural University
item Li, Congjun - Cj
item SHI, ZHI-HAI - Henan Agricultural University
item BAI, XIAN-XIAO - Henan Agricultural University
item SHENG, WEI-DONG - Henan Agricultural University
item XING, BAO-SONG - Henan Agricultural University

Submitted to: BMC Genomics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/27/2017
Publication Date: 7/19/2017
Citation: Wang, J., Zhong, J., Chen, J., Gao, B., Hua, L., Li, C., Shi, Z., Bai, X., Sheng, W., Xing, B. 2017. Identification and characterization of long non-coding RNAs in subcutaneous adipose tissue from castrated and intact full-sib pair Huainan male pigs. Biomed Central (BMC) Genomics. 18:542. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-017-3907-z.

Interpretive Summary: Testosterone deficiency is associated with obesity in humans. It has been proven that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate adipose tissue metabolism. We used neutered male pigs as animal model to study testosterone deficiency-induced fat deposition and the function roles of incRANs. Our results suggested that lncRNAs and their target genes might play an important role in the castration-induced fat deposition and provide a new therapeutic target for combatting testosterone deficiency-related obesity.

Technical Abstract: Testosterone deficiency is associated with obesity in humans. It has been proven that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate adipose tissue metabolism; therefore, we first study the role of lncRNAs on testosterone deficiency-induced fat deposition using castrated male pigs as the model animal. The results showed that castration reduced serum testosterone but increased body fatness-related traits (serum triglyceride levels, backfat thickness, intramuscular fat content, and adipocyte size). Meanwhile, 343 lncRNAs from subcutaneous adipose tissue were identified, including nine up- and nine down-regulated (q-value<0.05, |log2FoldChange|>1) lncRNAs. Functional analysis indicated that these 18 lncRNAs and their target genes are involved in fatty acid, insulin, and the adipocytokine signaling pathway. We further analyzed the features of a conserved mouse lncRNA gene ENSMUSG00000100005 and found it was enriched in the cell nucleus and associated with the Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 2 Group F Member 2 (NR2F2) gene. In 3T3-L1 cells, differentiation down-regulated their expression, but dihydrotestosterone (DHT) significantly up-regulated their expression in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.05). These results suggested that lncRNAs and their target genes might play an important role in the castration-induced fat deposition and provide a new therapeutic target for combatting testosterone deficiency-related obesity.