Expression of key myogenic, fibrogenic and adipogenic genes in Longissimus thoracis and masseter muscles in cattle

Adipogenesis, myogenesis and fibrogenesis are related processes that can contribute to meat quality. Therefore, extending the knowledge of these processes would facilitate the identification of molecular markers that predict intramuscular fat accretion. The main purpose of this work, based on previous results, was to further study the expression of key genes related to adipogenic, myogenic, fibrogenic processes and some cytokines in Longissimus thoracis (LT) and Masseter (MS) muscles of Pirenaica and Holstein young bulls. Longissimus thoracis and MS muscles from Pirenaica (n = 4) and Spanish Holstein (n = 4) were sampled for proximate analysis, determination of adipocyte size distribution and expression of key candidate genes. Fat percentage was lower in LT than in MS muscle in Pirenaica young bulls (P = 0.023) and was higher in LT muscle in Holstein than in Pirenaica young bulls (P = 0.007). Gene expression analysis revealed that the mRNA level of myogenic differentiation 1 (MYOD) was higher in LT than in MS muscles in both groups of animals (P < 0.001) and that myostatin (MSTN) expression was also higher in LT than in MS muscle in Holstein bulls (P = 0.001). On the other hand, MSTN and PPARG showed higher expression in LT and MS in Pirenaica young bulls (P = 0.026), while the expression of fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) was higher in Holstein young bulls, also in both muscles (P < 0.001). The results suggested that the development of intramuscular adipose depot was directly related to the expression of adipogenic genes, such as FABP4, but inversely related to the expression of the cytokine MSTN and the myogenic gene MYOD, genes which showed a muscle-specific expression.The work was partially supported by Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria grant number ‘RTA2013-00046-C03-03’ (JAM and AA)