Table_10_Co-Expression Networks Reveal Potential Regulatory Roles of miRNAs in Fatty Acid Composition of Nelore Cattle.xlsx

Fatty acid (FA) content affects the sensorial and nutritional value of meat and plays a significant role in biological processes such as adipogenesis and immune response. It is well known that, in beef, the main FAs associated with these biological processes are oleic acid (C18:1 cis9, OA) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA-c9t11), which may have beneficial effects on metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. Here, we performed differential expression and co-expression analyses, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and partial correlation with information theory (PCIT), to uncover the complex interactions between miRNAs and mRNAs expressed in skeletal muscle associated with FA content. miRNA and mRNA expression data were obtained from skeletal muscle of Nelore cattle that had extreme genomic breeding values for OA and CLA. Insulin and MAPK signaling pathways were identified by WGCNA as central pathways associated with both of these fatty acids. Co-expression network analysis identified bta-miR-33a/b, bta-miR-100, bta-miR-204, bta-miR-365-5p, bta-miR-660, bta-miR-411a, bta-miR-136, bta-miR-30-5p, bta-miR-146b, bta-let-7a-5p, bta-let-7f, bta-let-7, bta-miR 339, bta-miR-10b, bta-miR 486, and the genes ACTA1 and ALDOA as potential regulators of fatty acid synthesis. This study provides evidence and insights into the molecular mechanisms and potential target genes involved in fatty acid content differences in Nelore beef cattle, revealing new candidate pathways of phenotype modulation that could positively benefit beef production and human consumption.

脂肪酸（Fatty acid, FA）含量会影响肉类的感官品质与营养价值，同时在脂肪生成（adipogenesis）、免疫应答等生物学过程中发挥重要作用。众所周知，肉牛中与这些生物学过程相关的主要脂肪酸为油酸（oleic acid, C18:1 cis9, OA）与共轭亚油酸（conjugated linoleic acid, CLA-c9t11），二者或对2型糖尿病、肥胖等代谢疾病具有有益作用。本研究通过差异表达分析、共表达分析、加权基因共表达网络分析（weighted gene co-expression network analysis, WGCNA）以及信息论偏相关分析（partial correlation with information theory, PCIT），旨在揭示骨骼肌中表达的与脂肪酸含量相关的microRNA（miRNA）与信使RNA（mRNA）之间的复杂相互作用。本研究的miRNA与mRNA表达数据采自具有极端油酸与共轭亚油酸基因组育种值的内洛尔牛骨骼肌样本。经WGCNA分析，胰岛素信号通路与丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPK）信号通路被鉴定为与这两种脂肪酸均相关的核心通路。共表达网络分析鉴定出bta-miR-33a/b、bta-miR-100、bta-miR-204、bta-miR-365-5p、bta-miR-660、bta-miR-411a、bta-miR-136、bta-miR-30-5p、bta-miR-146b、bta-let-7a-5p、bta-let-7f、bta-let-7、bta-miR 339、bta-miR-10b、bta-miR 486，以及ACTA1、ALDOA基因，可作为脂肪酸合成的潜在调控因子。本研究为内洛尔肉牛脂肪酸含量差异相关的分子机制与潜在靶基因提供了证据与见解，揭示了可正向惠及肉牛生产与人类消费的表型调控新候选通路。