Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211# Huimin Road, Wenjiang, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China.
College of Pharmacy and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China.
Funct Integr Genomics. 2020 May;20(3):409-419. doi: 10.1007/s10142-019-00729-5. Epub 2019 Nov 19.
Emerging evidence suggests that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are critical regulators of diverse biological processes, including adipogenesis. Despite being considered an ideal animal model for studying adipogenesis, little is known about the roles of lncRNAs in the regulation of rabbit preadipocyte differentiation. In the present study, visceral preadipocytes isolated from newborn rabbits were cultured in vitro and induced for differentiation, and global lncRNA expression profiles of adipocytes collected at days 0, 3, and 9 of differentiation were analyzed by RNA-seq. A total of 2066 lncRNAs were identified from nine RNA-seq libraries. Compared to protein-coding transcripts, lncRNA transcripts exhibited characteristics of a longer length and lower expression level. Furthermore, 486 and 357 differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs were identified when comparing day 3 vs. day 0 and day 9 vs. day 3, respectively. Target genes of DE lncRNAs were predicted by the cis-regulating approach. Prediction of functions revealed that DE lncRNAs when comparing day 3 vs. day 0 were involved in gene ontology (GO) terms of developmental growth, growth, developmental cell growth, and stem cell proliferation, and involved in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways of PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, fatty acid biosynthesis, and the insulin signaling pathway. The DE lncRNAs when comparing day 9 vs. day 3 were involved in GO terms that associated with epigenetic modification and were involved in the KEGG pathway of cAMP signaling pathway. This study provides further insight into the regulatory function of lncRNAs in rabbit visceral adipose and facilitates a better understanding of different stages of preadipocyte differentiation.
新出现的证据表明，长非编码 RNA（lncRNA）是包括脂肪生成在内的多种生物学过程的关键调控因子。尽管兔子被认为是研究脂肪生成的理想动物模型，但对于 lncRNA 在调节兔前体脂肪细胞分化中的作用知之甚少。在本研究中，从新生兔中分离内脏前体脂肪细胞并在体外培养，诱导分化，并通过 RNA-seq 分析第 0、3 和 9 天分化时脂肪细胞的全局 lncRNA 表达谱。从 9 个 RNA-seq 文库中共鉴定出 2066 个 lncRNA。与编码蛋白的转录本相比，lncRNA 转录本的特征是更长的长度和更低的表达水平。此外，当比较第 3 天与第 0 天和第 9 天与第 3 天时，分别鉴定出 486 个和 357 个差异表达（DE）lncRNA。通过顺式调控方法预测 DE lncRNA 的靶基因。预测功能表明，当比较第 3 天与第 0 天时，DE lncRNA 参与了发育生长、生长、发育细胞生长和干细胞增殖的基因本体（GO）术语，并参与了 PI3K-Akt 信号通路、脂肪酸生物合成和胰岛素信号通路的京都基因与基因组百科全书（KEGG）途径。当比较第 9 天与第 3 天时，DE lncRNA 参与了与表观遗传修饰相关的 GO 术语，并参与了 cAMP 信号通路的 KEGG 途径。本研究进一步深入了解了 lncRNA 在兔内脏脂肪中的调控功能，并有助于更好地理解前体脂肪细胞分化的不同阶段。
