ACTA VETERINARIA ET ZOOTECHNICA SINICA ›› 2013, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (7): 1014-1022.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2013.07.004

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Differential Expression of Lep and LEPR mRNA in Adipose Tissues of Sheep with Divergent Fat-tails

LIU Bao-feng, ZHOU Sha-sha, WANG Jing-lin, WEI Lin-lin, QIAO Li-ying, LIU Jian-hua, LIANG Chen, LIU Wen-zhong*   

  1. (College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China)
  • Received:2012-12-10 Online:2013-07-23 Published:2013-07-23

Abstract:

Real-time PCR technique was used to study the ontogenetic mRNA expression of Lep and LEPR genes in two sheep breeds with distinct tail types (Guangling Large Tailed and Small Tailed Han Sheep), so that to discuss the probable relationship between the Lep and LEPR mRNA expression and fat metabolism. Adipose tissues from seven parts of the body(great and small omenta, tail, subcutaneous, mesenterium, perirenal and retroperitoneum) were collected from 96 animals (48 for each breed with equal sex ratios) from 2- to 12- month old at the interval of two months to study the mRNA expression. The results showed that both Lep and LEPR expressed spatiotemporally in the two breeds. As the main effects, sex and breed did not basically influenced the expression of Lep and LEPR, but the breed × age interaction affected the expression of the two genes to different extents. Although the two genes had a synergistic effect on the regulation of fat deposition and energy metabolism, their expressions were inversely regulated. These results provide the important scientific bases for further research on the genetic mechanism of fat metabolism in sheep.

CLC Number: