Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Provides Insight into Spatio-Temporal Expression Characteristics and Genetic Regulatory Network in Postnatal Developing Subcutaneous and Visceral Fat of Bama Pig

Yingying Zhang; Hongyang Wang; Weilong Tu; Sayed Haidar Abbas Raza; Jianguo Cao; Ji Huang; Huali Wu; Chun Fan; Shengchang Wang; Ying Zhao; Yongsong Tan

doi:10.3389/fgene.2022.844833

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Provides Insight into Spatio-Temporal Expression Characteristics and Genetic Regulatory Network in Postnatal Developing Subcutaneous and Visceral Fat of Bama Pig

Front Genet. 2022 Mar 31:13:844833. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.844833. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yingying Zhang^{1

2}, Hongyang Wang^{1

2}, Weilong Tu^{1

2}, Sayed Haidar Abbas Raza³, Jianguo Cao^{1

2}, Ji Huang^{1

2}, Huali Wu^{1

2}, Chun Fan⁴, Shengchang Wang⁴, Ying Zhao⁴, Yongsong Tan^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China.
² Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Breeding Pig, Shanghai, China.
³ College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
⁴ Shanghai Laboratory Animal Research Center, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

The depot differences between Subcutaneous Fat (SAF) and Visceral Fat (VAF) are critical for human well-being and disease processes in regard to energy metabolism and endocrine function. Miniature pigs (Sus scrofa) are ideal biomedical models for human energy metabolism and obesity due to the similarity of their lipid metabolism with that of humans. However, the regulation of differences in fat deposition and development remains unclear. In this study, the development of SAF and VAF was characterized and compared in Bama pig during postnatal development (infancy, puberty and adulthood), using RNA sequencing techniques (RNA-Seq). The transcriptome of SAF and VAF was profiled and isolated from 1-, 3- and 6 months-old pigs and identified 23,636 expressed genes, of which 1,165 genes were differentially expressed between the depots and/or developmental stages. Upregulated genes in SAF showed significant function and pathway enrichment in the central nervous system development, lipid metabolism, oxidation-reduction process and cell adhesion, whereas genes involved in the immune system, actin cytoskeleton organization, male gonad development and the hippo signaling pathway were preferentially expressed in VAF. Miner analysis of short time-series expression demonstrated that differentiation in gene expression patterns between the two depots corresponded to their distinct responses in sexual development, hormone signaling pathways, lipid metabolism and the hippo signaling pathway. Transcriptome analysis of SAF and VAF suggested that the depot differences in adipose tissue are not only related to lipid metabolism and endocrine function, but are closely associated with sexual development and organ size regulation.

Keywords: Bama pig; insulin response; organ size regulation; subcutaneous fat; transcriptome analysis; visceral fat.