Interpretive Summary: Integrative methylome and transcriptome analysis of porcine abdominal fat indicates changes in fat metabolism and immune responses during different development

By: Do-Young Kim, Byeonghwi Lim, Dajeong Lim, Woncheol Park, Kyung-Tai Lee, Eun-Seok Cho, Kyu-Sang Lim, Si Nae Cheon, Bong-Hwan Choi, Jong-Eun Park, Jun-Mo Kim

Fat is involved in the synthesis of new fatty acids (FAs), FA circulation, and lipid metabolism. Various genetic studies have been conducted on porcine fat but understanding the growth and specific adipose tissue is insufficient. The purpose of this study is to investigate the epigenetic difference in abdominal fat according to the growth of porcine. Modifications in DNA methylation and expression values were confirmed epigenetically with growth. Changed genes in each DNA and RNA showed identical trends in the function of immune response and lipid metabolism. The effects of DNA methylation on gene expression were investigated using cis-regulation (functional enrichment analysis of overlapping genes) and trans-regulation (transcription factor and target gene networking) analysis to integrate and interpret different molecular layers. Our research provides an understanding of the underlying mechanisms for epigenetic regulation in porcine abdominal fat with aging.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.