A Specific microRNA Targets an Elongase of Very Long Chain Fatty Acids to Regulate Fatty Acid Composition and Mitochondrial Morphology of Skeletal Muscle Cells

The Effect of Silencing Fatty Acid Elongase 4 and 6 Genes on the Proliferation and Migration of Colorectal Cancer Cells

Colorectal cancer (CRC) cells show some alterations in lipid metabolism, including an increased fatty acid elongation. This study was focused on investigating the effect of a small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated decrease in fatty acid elongation on CRC cells' survival and migration. In our study, the elongase 4 (ELOVL4) and elongase 6 (ELOVL6) genes were observed to be highly overexpressed in both the CRC tissue obtained from patients and the CRC cells cultured in vitro (HT-29 and WiDr cell lines). The use of the siRNAs for ELOVL4 and ELOVL6 reduced cancer cell proliferation and migration rates. These findings indicate that the altered elongation process decreased the survival of CRC cells, and in the future, fatty acid elongases can be potentially good targets in novel CRC therapy.

Transcriptome analysis of the gene expression of M. iliotibialis lateralis affected by dietary methionine restriction

Introduction: Methionine (Met) is an important amino acid related to the development of skeletal muscle. This study investigated the effects of dietary Met restriction on the gene expression of M. iliotibialis lateralis. Methods: A total of 84 day-old broiler chicks (Zhuanghe Dagu) with a similar initial body weight (207.62 ± 8.54 g) were used in this study. All birds were divided into two groups (CON; L-Met) based on the initial body weight. Each group consisted of six replicates with seven birds per replicate. The experimental period was 63 days (phase 1, days 1-21; phase 2, days 22-63). According to the nutritional requirements of Zhuanghe Dagu chickens, we provided a basal diet (0.39% Met levels during phase 1 and 0.35% Met levels during phase 2, as-fed basis) to the birds in the CON group, while we provided a Met-restricted diet (0.31% Met levels during phase 1 and 0.28% Met levels during phase 2, as-fed basis) to the birds in the L-Met group. The growth performance of broiler chicks and their M. iliotibialis lateralis development parameters were measured on days 21 and 63. Results and Discussion: In this study, dietary Met restriction did not affect the growth performance of broiler chicks but hindered the development of M. iliotibialis lateralis at both sampling timepoints. On the final day, three birds selected from each group (three from CON and three from L-Met) were used to obtain M. iliotibialis lateralis samples from leg muscle for further transcriptome analysis. Transcriptome analysis revealed that dietary Met restriction significantly upregulated 247 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and downregulated 173 DEGs. Additionally, DEGs were mainly enriched in 10 pathways. Among DEGs, we observed that dietary Met restriction downregulated the expression of CSRP3, KY, FHL1, LMCD1, and MYOZ2 in M. iliotibialis lateralis. Therefore, we considered that dietary Met restriction had negative effects on the development of M. iliotibialis lateralis, and CSRP3, KY, FHL1, LMCD1, and MYOZ2 may serve as potential functional genes involved in this process.