Comparative Analysis of MicroRNA Expression Profiles Between Skeletal Muscle- and Adipose-Derived Exosomes in Pig

Skeletal muscle and adipose tissues are both involved in regulation of metabolism. In the skeletal muscle-adipose tissue crosstalk, exosomes may play an important role but the main components of exosomes are not clear. In this study, we found skeletal muscle-derived exosomes can inhibit adipogenesis of porcine preadipocytes. We identified microRNA expression profiles of muscle exosomes and adipose exosomes by high-throughput sequencing. There were 104 (both novel and known microRNAs) microRNAs differentially expressed (DE miRNAs) between M-EXO (muscle-derived exosomes) and A-EXO (adipose–derived exosomes) groups. A total of 2,137 target genes of DE miRNAs for M-EXO and 2,004 target genes of DE miRNAs for A-EXO were detected. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that some DE miRNAs of M-EXO (especially miR-221-5p) were mainly enriched in lipid-related metabolism processes. The findings may serve as a fundamental resource for understanding the detailed functions of exosomes between the skeletal muscle-adipose crosstalk and the potential relationship between skeletal muscle atrophy and obesity.