Development of a serum-free differentiation medium for porcine muscle stem cells based on transcriptional research

Cultured meat is an emerging environmentally friendly alternative method for protein production. The effective differentiation of muscle stem cells into protein without the use of animal serum is essential. A serum-free myogenic differentiation culture medium for porcine muscle stem cells has not yet been successfully developed. In this study, we identified key genes and receptors involved in the induction of myogenic differentiation of porcine muscle stem cells under serum starvation conditions through transcriptome analysis. By testing and optimizing relevant factors, we further developed a new serum-free myogenic differentiation formulation. We found that both serum-free myogenic differentiation and serum-starvation induced differentiation affect cardiac muscle contraction, reactive oxygen species and oxidative phosphorylation signaling pathways, but they differ in inhibition of Wnt signaling pathway and secretion of frizzled related proteins. Overall, our work elucidated the transcriptional characteristics and key receptors involved in the myogenic differentiation of porcine muscle stem cells, and we have developed a serum-free differentiation medium that aided in the safe and efficient production of cultured meat.