A long non-coding RNA lnc210 promotes adipogenic differentiation of buffalo intramuscular adipocytes

Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is one of the most significant factors influencing beef quality in terms of tenderness, flavor, and juiciness. Thus, internal factors affecting IMF deposition have received considerable attention for decades. In this study, we demonstrated a long non-coding RNA, lnc210, promoted adipogenic differentiation of buffalo intramuscular adipocytes. lnc210 was rich in adipose tissue and showed increased expression with the adipogenic differentiation of buffalo intramuscular adipocytes. lnc210 was mainly expressed in the nucleus of adipocytes. Full-length lnc210 was obtained by rapid amplification of cDNA ends technology. lnc210 overexpression promoted lipid accumulation by upregulating the mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) and CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPα) in buffalo intramuscular adipocytes. These results provide a basis for an in-depth analysis of the role of lnc210 in accelerating IMF deposition in buffaloes.

肌内脂肪（Intramuscular fat, IMF）含量是影响牛肉嫩度、风味与多汁性的关键品质因子之一。数十年来，调控肌内脂肪沉积的内在因素一直受到学界的广泛关注。本研究证实，长链非编码RNA lnc210可促进水牛肌内脂肪细胞的成脂分化。lnc210在脂肪组织中富集表达，且其表达水平随水牛肌内脂肪细胞的成脂分化进程显著上调，主要定位于脂肪细胞的细胞核内。本研究通过cDNA末端快速扩增技术（rapid amplification of cDNA ends）获得了lnc210的全长序列。在水牛肌内脂肪细胞中过表达lnc210，可通过上调过氧化物酶体增殖物激活受体γ（peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, PPARG）与CCAAT增强子结合蛋白α（CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha, C/EBPα）的mRNA表达水平，促进脂滴积累。本研究结果为深入解析lnc210在加速水牛肌内脂肪沉积中的作用奠定了理论基础。