School of Animal Sciences, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA.
J Anim Sci. 2019 May 30;97(6):2658-2673. doi: 10.1093/jas/skz111.
The intramuscular adipose tissue deposition in the skeletal muscle of beef cattle is a highly desired trait essential for high-quality beef. In contrast, the excessive accumulation of crosslinked collagen in intramuscular connective tissue contributes to beef toughness. Recent studies revealed that adipose tissue and connective tissue share an embryonic origin in mice and may be derived from a common immediate bipotent precursor in mice and humans. Having the same linkages in the development of adipose tissue and connective tissue in beef, the lineage commitment and differentiation of progenitor cells giving rise to these tissues may directly affect beef quality. It has been shown that these processes are regulated by some key transcription regulators and are subjective to epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNAs. Continued exploration of relevant regulatory pathways is very important for the identification of mechanisms influencing meat quality and the development of proper management strategies for beef quality improvement.
牛肌肉内的脂肪组织沉积是优质牛肉所必需的理想性状。相比之下，肌肉内结缔组织中交联胶原的过度积累会导致牛肉韧性增加。最近的研究表明，脂肪组织和结缔组织在小鼠中具有共同的胚胎起源，并且可能来自于小鼠和人类中共同的即刻双能前体。由于在牛肉中脂肪组织和结缔组织的发育具有相同的联系，因此产生这些组织的祖细胞的谱系决定和分化可能直接影响牛肉的质量。已经表明，这些过程受一些关键转录调节剂的调节，并受到表观遗传修饰的影响，如 DNA 甲基化、组蛋白修饰和 microRNAs。持续探索相关的调控途径对于确定影响肉质的机制以及制定改善牛肉质量的适当管理策略非常重要。
