Identification and functional analysis of G-protein coupled receptors in the differentiation of porcine subcutaneous preadipocytes

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are membrane proteins that enable cells to sense molecular signals and to respond in a broad range of biological processes according to the circumstances of cells. Firstly, we detected 10 candidate GPCR genes expressed in porcine subcutaneous preadipocytes (PSPA). Gene knockdown for three out of the ten candidate genes obviously decreased the differentiation of the PSPA. Therefore, we investigated gene expression profiles of PSPA transfected with siRNA for each of the three CPCR genes. Gene ontology analysis elucidated that the knockdown of GPCR genes upregulated molecular pathways related to skeletal system development, mitosis, and cell adhesion, respectively. Interestingly, knockdown of all three genes commonly downregulated genes categorized in PPAR signaling pathway and immune response. Differentiation of PSPA might be attributed to the alteration of gene expression profiles regulated by GPCRs identified in this study.