Fat Deposition in Ruminants: Efforts of Genetic, Management, and Nutrition

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Cattle".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 1532

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Clemson University, 105 Collings St., Rm 112 BRC, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
Interests: muscle; adipose; satellite cells; adipocytes; transcriptomics; miRNA; gene expression

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At present, health-conscious consumers want lean meat products with many unsaturated fatty acids. This is difficult to achieve due to the extensive biohydrogenation of dietary unsaturated fatty acids in rumen. Rumen-protected fatty acid supplements are widely used in the dairy industry to increase milk production and supply specific fatty acids for absorption. However, they are not used very often in beef and sheep production meat, and more research is needed to develop a better understanding of how fatty acid composition may alter adipogenesis and lipogenesis in ruminant adipose tissue. Adipogenesis is a complex process, where mesenchymal stem cells undergo determination into preadipocytes, which then differentiate into a fully functional adipocytes. Lipogenesis is the process of lipid filling of adipocytes from dietary fatty acids or via de novo lipogenesis, which occurs in the adipose tissue of ruminants. In order to modify the fatty acid composition and content of ruminant adipose tissues, research is needed that examines how the delivery of specific fatty acids or mixtures can alter adipogenic and lipogenic processes. The aim of this Special Issue is to present current research and reviews on how altering the fatty acid composition at the cellular and tissue levels impacts adipogenesis and lipogenesis in ruminant adipose tissue to produce lean meat products with enhanced fatty acid composition.

Prof. Dr. Susan Duckett
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • ruminants
  • fatty acids
  • adipogenesis
  • lipogenesis
  • adipose
  • adipocytes
  • preadipocytes

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 7080 KiB  
Article
Potential Role of Lauric Acid in Milk Fat Synthesis in Chinese Holstein Cows Based on Integrated Analysis of Ruminal Microbiome and Metabolome
by Huimin Zhang, Yi Wang, Liping Hu, Jiahe Cong, Zhengzhong Xu, Xiang Chen, Shengqi Rao, Mingxun Li, Ziliang Shen, John Mauck, Juan J. Loor, Zhangping Yang and Yongjiang Mao
Animals 2024, 14(10), 1493; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14101493 - 17 May 2024
Viewed by 434
Abstract
The composition and metabolic profile of the ruminal microbiome have an impact on milk composition. To unravel the ruminal microbiome and metabolome affecting milk fat synthesis in dairy cows, 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene sequencing, as well as ultra-high performance [...] Read more.
The composition and metabolic profile of the ruminal microbiome have an impact on milk composition. To unravel the ruminal microbiome and metabolome affecting milk fat synthesis in dairy cows, 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene sequencing, as well as ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) methods were used to investigate the significant differences in ruminal bacterial and fungal communities as well as metabolome among Chinese Holstein cows with contrasting milk fat contents under the same diet (H-MF 5.82 ± 0.41% vs. L-MF 3.60 ± 0.12%). Another objective was to culture bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs) to assess the effect of metabolites on lipid metabolism. Results showed that the acetate-to-propionate ratio and xylanase activity in ruminal fluid were both higher in H-MF. Microbiome sequencing identified 10 types of bacteria and four types of fungi differently abundant at the genus level. Metabolomics analysis indicated 11 different ruminal metabolites between the two groups, the majority of which were lipids and organic acids. Among these, lauric acid (LA) was enriched in fatty acid biosynthesis with its concentration in milk fat of H-MF cows being greater (217 vs. 156 mg per 100 g milk), thus, it was selected for an in vitro study with BMECs. Exogenous LA led to a marked increase in intracellular triglyceride (TG) content and lipid droplet formation, and it upregulated the mRNA abundance of fatty acid uptake and activation (CD36 and ACSL1), TG synthesis (DGAT1, DGAT2 and GPAM), and transcriptional regulation (SREBP1) genes. Taken together, the greater relative abundance of xylan-fermenting bacteria and fungi, and lower abundance of bacteria suppressing short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria or participating in fatty acid hydrogenation altered lipids and organic acids in the rumen of dairy cows. In BMECs, LA altered the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism in mammary cells, ultimately promoting milk fat synthesis. Thus, it appears that this fatty acid plays a key role in milk fat synthesis. Full article
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16 pages, 4000 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Transcriptome Profiling Reveals the Mechanisms Underlying Hepatic Metabolism under Different Raising Systems in Yak
by Mengfan Zhang, Xita Zha, Xiaoming Ma, Yongfu La, Xian Guo, Min Chu, Pengjia Bao, Ping Yan, Xiaoyun Wu and Chunnian Liang
Animals 2024, 14(5), 695; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14050695 - 23 Feb 2024
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Abstract
Yak meat is nutritionally superior to beef cattle but has a low fat content and is slow-growing. The liver plays a crucial role in lipid metabolism, and in order to determine whether different feeding modes affect lipid metabolism in yaks and how it [...] Read more.
Yak meat is nutritionally superior to beef cattle but has a low fat content and is slow-growing. The liver plays a crucial role in lipid metabolism, and in order to determine whether different feeding modes affect lipid metabolism in yaks and how it is regulated, we employed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology to analyze the genome-wide differential gene expression in the liver of yaks maintained under different raising systems. A total of 1663 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified (|log2FC| ≥ 0 and p-value ≤ 0.05), including 698 down-regulated and 965 up-regulated genes. According to gene ontology (GO) and KEGG enrichment analyses, these DEGs were significantly enriched in 13 GO terms and 26 pathways (p < 0.05). Some DEGs were enriched in fatty acid degradation, PPAR, PI3K-Akt, and ECM receptor pathways, which are associated with lipid metabolism. A total of 16 genes are well known to be related to lipid metabolism (e.g., APOA1, FABP1, EHHADH, FADS2, SLC27A5, ACADM, CPT1B, ACOX2, HMGCS2, PLIN5, ACAA1, IGF1, FGFR4, ALDH9A1, ECHS1, LAMA2). A total of 11 of the above genes were significantly enriched in the PPAR signaling pathway. The reliability of the transcriptomic data was verified using qRT-PCR. Our findings provide new insights into the mechanisms regulating yak meat quality. It shows that fattening improves the expression of genes that regulate lipid deposition in yaks and enhances meat quality. This finding will contribute to a better understanding of the various factors that determine yak meat quality and help develop strategies to improve yield and quality. Full article
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