Effect of dietary nutrition on tail fat deposition and evaluation of tail-related genes in fat-tailed sheep

BACKGROUND: The effects of dietary nutrition on tail fat deposition and the correlation between production performance and the Hh signaling pathway and OXCT1 were investigated in fat-tailed sheep. Tan sheep were fed different nutritional diets and the variances in tail length, width, thickness and tail weight as well as the mRNA expression of fat-related genes (C/EBPα, FAS, LPL, and HSL) were determined in the tail fat of sheep at three different growth stages based on their body weight. Furthermore, the correlations between tail phenotypes and the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway components (IHH, PTCH1, SMO, and GLI1) and OXCT1 were investigated. RESULTS: C/EBPα, FAS, LPL, and HSL were expressed with differences in tail fat of sheep fed different nutritional diets at three different growth stages. The results of the two-way ANOVA showed the significant effect of nutrition, stage, and interaction on gene expression, except the between C/EBPα and growth stage. C/EBPα, FAS, and LPL were considerably correlated with the tail phenotypes. Furthermore, the results of the correlation analysis demonstrated a close relationship between the tail phenotypes and Hh signaling pathway and OXCT1. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated the gene-level role of dietary nutrition in promoting tail fat deposition and related tail fat-related genes. It provides a molecular basis by which nutritional balance and tail fat formation can be investigated and additional genes can be identified. The findings of the present study may help improve the production efficiency of fat-tailed sheep and identify crucial genes associated with tail fat deposition.

MODELO TEÓRICO PARA EXPLICAR LA ACUMULACIÓN DE GOTAS LIPÍDICAS EN EMBRIONES BOVINOS MACHOS O HEMBRAS PRODUCIDOS in vitro Theoretical Model For Explaining Accumulation Of Fat Drops In In Vitro Produced Bovine Embryos

La glucosa 6-fosfato deshidrogenasa (G6PD), codificada por un gen ubicado en el cromosoma X, es la enzima limitante de vía de las pentosas fosfato (PF). La entrada de la glucosa así como su flujo y el rendimiento metabólico de esta vía están determinados tanto por los mismos niveles glucosa así como por la actividad de la G6PD. Por esta vía, la glucosa regula la trascripción de varios genes lipogénicos. En algunos embriones hembra producidos in vitro, se registra un retardo en la normal inactivación de uno de sus cromosomas X, lo cual se traduce en una doble actividad de los genes allí ubicados, si se compara con los embriones macho producidos in vitro. Se postula entonces que, la sobre-regulación de la vía PF a consecuencia de la doble dosis de su enzima limitante (G6PD) y en presencia de elevados niveles de glucosa (mayores a 2,5 mM en el medio de cultivo), conllevaría a un dimorfismo sexual en relación con la transcripción de los genes Acetil CoA Carboxilasa Alfa (en adelante ACACA, símbolo oficial de la acetyl-Coenzyme A carboxylase alpha), y la Sintetasa de Ácidos Grasos (en edelante FASN, símbolo oficial de la fatty acid synthase) que corriente abajo codifican para las enzimas limitantes en la síntesis de lípidos. Este dimorfismo sexual para el fenotipo metabolismo de lípidos, derivaría en una mayor acumulación citoplasmática de gotas lipídicas en los embriones hembra en comparación con los embriones machos que, de ser así, tendría efectos expansivos sobre el metabolismo general, la actividad transcripcional de otros genes y sobre la resistencia a la criopreservación.

The encoding gene for glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is located on chromosome X. This enzyme regulates the entrance of glucose into the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). Besides, throughout this route, glucose regulates the transcription of some lipogenic genes. Compared with in vitro produced male embryos, and due to a delaying in X-chromosome inactivation as a consequence of in vitro culture conditions, some early female embryos show two-fold increase in this enzyme (G6PD) and consequently in PPP. It is postulated therefore that this kind of failures in genetic dosage compensation, and in a dependent manner of glucose levels, would generates a sexual dimorphism in lipid metabolic phenotype, at the level of transcription of genes associated to rate limiting enzymes of the synthesis of lipids such as Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase-Alpha (ACACA) and Fatty Acid Synthase (FASN). This would lead to a higher cytoplasmic accumulation of lipid droplets in female embryos with effects on their general metabolism, transcriptional activity of some down stream genes and on their cryotolerance.