MicroRNA Transcriptomes Relate Intermuscular Adipose Tissue to Metabolic Risk

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Jideng Ma¹  Shuzhen Yu¹  Fengjiao Wang¹  Lin Bai¹  Jian Xiao¹  Yanzhi Jiang²  Lei Chen³  Jinyong Wang³  Anan Jiang¹  Mingzhou Li¹ 

[1] Institute of Animal Genetics & Breeding, College of Animal Science & Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China; E-Mails:;College of Life and Basic Sciences, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China; E-Mail:;Chongqing Academy of Animal Science, Chongqing 402460, China; E-Mails:

关键词: intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT);    metabolic risk;    miRNA;    pig;    immune response;    inflammation response;    obesity;    transcriptome;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms14048611

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Intermuscular adipose tissue is located between the muscle fiber bundles in skeletal muscles, and has similar metabolic features to visceral adipose tissue, which has been found to be related to a number of obesity-related diseases. Although various miRNAs are known to play crucial roles in adipose deposition and adipogenesis, the microRNA transcriptome of intermuscular adipose tissue has not, until now, been studied. Here, we sequenced the miRNA transcriptomes of porcine intermuscular adipose tissue by small RNA-sequencing and compared it to a representative subcutaneous adipose tissue. We found that the inflammation- and diabetes-related miRNAs were significantly enriched in the intermuscular rather than in the subcutaneous adipose tissue. A functional enrichment analysis of the genes predicted to be targeted by the enriched miRNAs also indicated that intermuscular adipose tissue was associated mainly with immune and inflammation responses. Our results suggest that the intermuscular adipose tissue should be recognized as a potential metabolic risk factor of obesity.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland