Teagasc Animal and Bioscience Research Department, Teagasc Grange, Dunsany, Co Meath, Ireland.
School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Sci Rep. 2021 May 6;11(1):9716. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-89252-x.
Adipose tissue represents not only an important energy storage tissue but also a major endocrine organ within the body, influencing many biochemical systems including metabolic status, immune function and energy homeostasis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of an enhanced dietary intake during the early calfhood period on the transcriptome of visceral adipose tissue. Artificially reared Angus × Holstein-Friesian heifer calves were offered either a high (HI, n = 15) or moderate (MOD, n = 15) plane of nutrition from 3 to 21 weeks of life. At 21 weeks of age all calves were euthanized, visceral adipose harvested and samples subsequently subjected to mRNA sequencing. Plane of nutrition resulted in the differential expression of 1214 genes within visceral adipose tissue (adj. p < 0.05; fold change > 1.5). Differentially expressed genes were involved in processes related to metabolism and energy production. Biochemical pathways including Sirtuin signalling (adj. p < 0.0001) and the adipogenesis pathways (adj. p = 0.009) were also significantly enriched, indicating greater metabolic processing and adipogenesis in the calves on the high plane of nutrition. Results from this study identify novel genes regulating the molecular response of visceral adipose tissue to an improved plane of nutrition during early calfhood.
脂肪组织不仅是重要的能量储存组织，也是体内主要的内分泌器官，影响许多生化系统，包括代谢状态、免疫功能和能量平衡。本研究的目的是评估早期牛犊期增加饮食摄入对内脏脂肪组织转录组的影响。从 3 周到 21 周龄，人工饲养的安格斯×荷斯坦-弗里斯奶牛小母牛分别提供高（HI，n=15）或中（MOD，n=15）营养水平。在 21 周龄时，所有小母牛均被安乐死，采集内脏脂肪并随后进行 mRNA 测序。营养水平导致内脏脂肪组织中 1214 个基因的差异表达（adj. p<0.05；倍数变化>1.5）。差异表达的基因与代谢和能量产生过程有关。生物化学途径，包括 Sirtuin 信号（adj. p<0.0001）和脂肪生成途径（adj. p=0.009）也显著富集，表明高营养水平小牛的代谢处理和脂肪生成能力更强。本研究的结果确定了调节内脏脂肪组织对早期牛犊期改善营养水平的分子反应的新基因。
