title: DNA methylation landscape of fat deposits and fatty acid composition in obese and lean pigs.
abstract: Obese and lean type pig breeds exhibit differences in their fat deposits and fatty acid composition. Here, we compared the effect of genome-wide DNA methylation on fatty acid metabolism between Landrace pigs (LP, leaner) and Rongchang pigs (RP, fatty). We found that LP backfat (LBF) had a higher polyunsaturated fatty acid content but a lower adipocyte volume than RP backfat (RBF). LBF exhibited higher global DNA methylation levels at the genome level than RBF. A total of 483 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were located in promoter regions, mainly affecting olfactory and sensory activity and lipid metabolism. In LBF, the promoters of genes related to ATPase activity had significantly stronger methylation. This fact may suggest lower energy metabolism levels, which may result in less efficient lipid synthesis in LBF. Furthermore, we identified a DMR in the miR-4335 and miR-378 promoters and validated their methylation status by bisulfite sequencing PCR. The hypermethylation of the promoters of miR-4335 and miR-378 in LBF and the resulting silencing of the target genes may result in LBF's low content in saturated fatty acids and fat deposition capacity. This study provides a solid basis for exploring the epigenetic mechanisms affecting fat deposition and fatty acid composition.
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Shunhua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Linyuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: E-GENE, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Yudong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Chengdu Agricultural College, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Qiong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Xuewei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Guoqing
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, College of Life and Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Yanzhi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Chongqing Academy of Animal Science, Rongchang, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Jinyong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Mingzhou
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019175:DNA Methylation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D035683:MicroRNAs