Biology (Oct 2022)

<i>miR-381-3p</i> Inhibits Intramuscular Fat Deposition through Targeting <i>FABP3</i> by ceRNA Regulatory Network

  • Yao Jiang,
  • Jiali Liu,
  • Huatao Liu,
  • Wei Zhang,
  • Xiaojin Li,
  • Linqing Liu,
  • Mei Zhou,
  • Jieru Wang,
  • Shiguang Su,
  • Xiangdong Ding,
  • Chonglong Wang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11101497
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 10
p. 1497

Abstract

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Intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition is an important determinant of pork quality and a complex process facilitated by non-coding ceRNAs. In this study, 52 Berkshire × Anqing Sixwhite crossbred pigs were slaughtered to measure eight carcass and pork quality traits. Whole-transcriptome sequencing analysis was performed using longissimus dorsi samples of six low- and high-IMF samples; 34 ceRNA networks, based on 881, 394, 158 differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs, were constructed. Following weighted gene co-expression network analysis between the low and high IMF, only one ceRNA, lncRNA4789/miR-381-3p/FABP3, that showed similar DE trend in longissimus dorsi tissue was retained. Dual-luciferase reporter assays further indicated that FABP3 was a direct, functional target of miR-381-3p, where miR-381-3p overexpression inhibited the mRNA and protein expression of FABP3. In addition, overexpressed lncRNA4789 attenuated the effect of miR-381-3p on FABP3 by sponging miR-381-3p. Cell function verification experiment demonstrated that miR-381-3p suppressed IMF deposition by inhibiting preadipocyte cell differentiation and lipid droplet deposition via the suppression of FABP3 expression in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signalling pathway, whereas lncRNA4789 rescued FABP3 expression by sponging miR-381-3p. Our study may aid in identifying novel molecular markers for its optimization in IMF which is of importance in breeding for improving pork quality.

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