The interaction between myocytes and intramuscular adipocytes is a hot scientific topic.  Using a co-culture system, this study aims to investigate the regulation of intramuscular fat deposition in chicken muscle tissue through the interaction between myocyte and adipocyte and identify important intermediary regulatory factors.  Our proteomics data showed that the protein expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2 (TIMP2) increased significantly in the culture medium of the co-culture system, and the content of lipid droplets was more in the co-culture intramuscular adipocytes.  In addition, TIMP2 was significantly upregulated (P<0.01) in muscle tissue of individuals with high intramuscular fat content.  Weighted gene co-expression network analysis revealed that TIMP2 was mainly involved in the extracellular matrix receptor interaction signaling pathway and its expression was significantly correlated with triglyceride, intramuscular fat, C14:0, C14:1, C16:0, C16:1, and C18:1n9C levels.  Additionally, TIMP2 was co-expressed with various representative genes related to lipid metabolism (such as ADIPOQ, SCD, ELOVL5, ELOVL7, and LPL), as well as certain genes involved in extracellular matrix receptor interaction (such as COL1A2, COL4A2, COL5A1, COL6A1, and COL6A3), which are also significantly upregulated (P<0.05 or P<0.01) in muscle tissue of individuals with high intramuscular fat content.  Our findings reveal that TIMP2 promotes intramuscular fat deposition in muscle tissue through the extracellular matrix receptor interaction signaling pathway.

Omega-3 (linolenic acid (ALA), docosapentaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid) and omega-6 (linoleic acid (LA), arachidonic acid) polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential for health and normal physiological functioning in humans.  Here we report a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on LA content in chicken meat.  The 19 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified by the GWAS approach were annotated in VILL, PLCD1 and OXSR1 genes with highly polymorphic linkage blocks, and explained 4.5% of the phenotypic variation in the LA content.  Specifically, the PLCD1 mRNA expression level was negatively correlated with the LA content, and significantly higher in chickens with low LA content than in those with high LA content.  In addition, PLCD1 was found to be involved in metabolic pathways, etc.  Furthermore, the LA content was correlated with volatile organic compounds (e.g., octanal, etc.), but no relationship was found with intramuscular fat and triglycerides in chicken meat.  The results indicated that there are key SNPs in PLCD1 that regulate the content of LA, and it has no significant effect on fat deposition, but may affect the content of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Identification of new chlorophyll-deficient mutants will provide materials for studying signaling components and pathways between plastid and nucleus. A novel chlorophyll-deficient mutant, named Mt6172, was obtained by spaceflight environment induction. Genetic analysis showed that its inheritance was controlled by nuclear and cytoplamic genes. Leaf color of its self-fertilized progenies was albino, narrow-white striped, or green. Only a few cells with abnormal chloroplasts were observed in albino plants and white section of narrow-white striped plants. These chloroplasts had obvious flaws in inner structure, and granum lamellae was extremely disordered. The narrow-white striped plants were characterized with greenand- narrow-white striped leaves, and the width of stripes between different plants was even, their plant height, number of productive tillers, and 1 000-grain weight were lower than those of the wild type. The narrow-white striped plants and the wild type had significant difference in the value of potential activity of photosystem II at all tested stages. At elongation stage, which was impacted the most seriously, effective quantum yield significantly decreased, whereas the energy for photoprotection and photodamage significantly increased. Under different photosynthetic active radiation conditions, changes of electron transport rate, photochemical dissipation, and effective quantum yield were different, electron transport rate was more impacted than other parameters. Therefore, the leaf morphology and inheritance of mutant Mt6172 was different from the other reported mutants in wheat, and it was a novel mutant of chlorophyll deficiency.