Molecular and functional characterization of the adiponectin (AdipoQ) gene in goat skeletal muscle satellite cells

OBJECTIVE: It is commonly accepted that adiponectin binds to its two receptors to regulate fatty acid metabolism in adipocytes. To better understand their functions in the regulation of intramuscular adipogenesis in goats, we cloned the three genes (adiponectin [AdipoQ], adiponectin receptor 1 [AdipoR1], and AdipoR2) encoding these proteins and detected their mRNA distribution in different tissues. We also determined the role of AdipoQ in the adipogenic differentiation of goat skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSCs). METHODS: SMSCs were isolated using 1 mg/mL Pronase E from the longissimus dorsi muscles of 3-day-old female Nanjiang brown goats. Adipogenic differentiation was induced in satellite cells by transferring the cells to Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium supplemented with an isobutylmethylxanthine, dexamethasone and insulin cocktail. The pEGFP-N1-AD plasmid was transfected into SMSCs using Lipofectamine 2000. Expression of adiponectin in tissues and SMSCs was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunocytochemical staining. RESULTS: The three genes were predominantly expressed in adipose and skeletal muscle tissues. According to fluorescence and immunocytochemical analyses, adiponectin protein expression was only observed in the cytoplasm, suggesting that adiponectin is localized to the cytoplasm of goat SMSCs. In SMSCs overexpressing the AdipoQ gene, adiponectin promoted SMSC differentiation into adipocytes and significantly (p<0.05) up-regulated expression of AdipoR2, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, fatty-acid synthase, and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1, though expression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, and AdipoR1 did not change significantly. CONCLUSION: Adiponectin induced SMSC differentiation into adipocytes, indicating that adiponectin may promote intramuscular adipogenesis in goat SMSC.