ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Livestock Genomics
Study on Differences of Fat Deposition in Cattle-Yak and Yak Based on Transcriptomics and Metabolomics
Provisionally accepted
Lin Xiong
Jie Pei
Xingdong Wang
Shaoke GuoMengli Cao
Ziqiang Ding
Yandong Kang
Xiaoyun WuQianyun Ge
Xian GUO*- Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
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The hybridization of yak with cattle is an effective mean to improve the yak's production performance. The fatty trait greatly affects the meat quality, the growth and development, and the reproduction of bovine. In this study, the thickness of subcutaneous fat in cattle-yaks and yaks was measured, and the fatty acids composition was detected by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS); the transcriptome and metabolome in fat were detected by mRNA-Sequencing (mRNA-Seq) and ultra high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technique (UHPLC-MS/MS), respectively. The results showed the thickness of subcutaneous fat in yaks was greater than the value in cattle-yaks; the saturated fatty acids (SFAs), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and Σn-3 PUFAs content in cattle-yaks' fat were higher than the values in yaks' fat, whereas the unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) content in cattle-yaks' fat were lower. Further, the expression of SREBF1 gene in two bovine's fat was affected by PI3K-Akt and AMPK signal pathway, which led to the expression change of downstream VLDLR, INSIG1, ACACA, LIPE, SLC2A4, CPT1C, SCD and DGAT2 genes. Therefore, fatty acids synthesis, glucose and lipids transport and lipids synthesis were different in two bovines' fat, and finally the fat quantity in two bovines was different. Moreover, the expression of VLDLR, CPT1C, LEP, SCD and CEBPE genes was closely related to the differences of fatty acid composition in two bovines' fat. The results can provide some theoretical basis for yak's breeding, and also can promote the improvement of yak production.
Keywords: bovine, characteristics of fat deposition, Regulatory gene, multi-omics, signaling pathway
Received: 16 Jun 2025; Accepted: 30 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xiong, Pei, Wang, Guo, Cao, Ding, Kang, Wu, Ge and GUO. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xian GUO, guoxian@caas.cn
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