Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2023, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (2): 545-553.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2023.02.012

• ANIMAL GENETICS AND BREEDING • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Expression of METTL16 in Different Types of Chicken Muscle and Its Regulatory Role in Chicken Skeletal Muscle Function

PANG Lichuan1, SHAN Yanju1, LIU Yifan1, ZHANG Ming1, GAN Dafeng2, TU Yunjie1, JI Gaige1, JU Xiaojun1, SHU Jingting1*, ZOU Jianmin1*   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory for Poultry Genetics and Breeding of Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Institution of Poultry Science, Yangzhou 225125, China;
    2. Chongren Animal Breeding Farm, Fuzhou 344200, China
  • Received:2022-07-11 Online:2023-02-23 Published:2023-02-21

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the expression of m6A methyltransferase-like protein 16 (METTL16) in different types of chicken muscle tissue and its regulatory role in chicken skeletal muscle function. In the present study, the tissue expression profile of METTL16 in different muscles of 120-day-old Guangxi partridge hens and the expression of genes related to proliferation, differentiation and muscle fiber formation after siRNA interference by qRT-PCR were analyzed. The results showed that METTL16 gene was widely expressed in different muscle tissues of chickens. White muscles, including major pectoralis, minor pectoralis and lateral iliotibial muscles, have higher METTL16 gene expression. Cell proliferation assay showed that the proliferation activity of chicken myoblasts was inhibited after METTL16 interference. Interfering with METTL16 gene during myoblast differentiation could reduced the methylation level of m6A and slow-MyHC expression in chicken myoblasts, significantly reduced MyoD expression (P<0.05), and significantly elevated fast-MyHC expression (P<0.001). In conclusion, the expression of METTL16 gene in different muscles is related to the composition of muscle fiber types. METTL16 gene may play a significant role in chicken myoblast proliferation and differentiation, and inhibit the formation of fast-twitch muscle fibers. These results indicated that METTL16 might play a crucial role in chicken muscle function regulation.

Key words: chicken, myofiber, myoblast, proliferation and differentiation, METTL16 gene

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