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Bovine Adipocyte-Derived Exosomes Transport LncRNAs to Regulate Adipogenic Transdifferentiation of Bovine Muscle Satellite Cells
by
, , , ,
Guangyao Meng
1,2,†,
Jiasu Zhang
1,2,†,
Zewen Wu
1,2,
Jixuan Song
1,2,
Qian Sun
1,2,
Xinxin Zhang
1,2,
Mengxia Sun
1,2,
Yang Yi
1,2 and
Guangjun Xia
1,2,* 1
Agriculture College, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, China
2
Engineering Research Center of North-East Cold Region Beef Cattle Science & Technology Innovation, Ministry of Education, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Animals 2025, 15(23), 3459; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15233459 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 26 September 2025
/
Revised: 10 November 2025
/
Accepted: 27 November 2025
/
Published: 30 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Cattle)
Simple Summary
Intramuscular fat is the material basis for beef marbling. Unfortunately, intramuscular fat formation is complex, and isolated cell culture experiments cannot adequately simulate in vivo conditions to properly analyze this process. Given that exosomal bioactive factors are known regulators of lipid metabolism, this study aimed to investigate whether adipocyte-derived lncRNAs from Yanbian yellow cattle could modulate the adipogenic differentiation of muscle satellite cells in a co-culture system. This study unveiled a novel regulatory mechanism in adipogenic transdifferentiation mediated by exosomal lncRNA-DGAT2 derived from bovine adipocytes. Specifically, exosomal lncRNA-DGAT2 competitively binds to the muscle-specific microRNA bta-miR-2455, thereby upregulating the expression of the adipogenic gene DGAT2 and inducing adipogenic differentiation in muscle satellite cells (MSCs). These findings elucidate the complex crosstalk between adipose and muscle tissues and provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms governing intramuscular fat deposition in beef cattle. Understanding the role of exosomal lncRNAs in adipogenic transdifferentiation not only advances our knowledge of bovine genetics but also holds potential implications for improving meat quality traits and breeding strategies in the beef cattle industry.
Abstract
Intramuscular fat content is a key factor in determining the quality and value of beef. Intramuscular adipocytes and satellite cells can interact with each other, and both are the source cells for intramuscular fat formation. To better understand the mechanism of bovine adipocytes regulating adipogenic transdifferentiation of muscle satellite cells (MSCs), this study established a co-culture system of bovine adipocytes and bovine MSCs, identified and isolated exosomes secreted by bovine adipocytes, co-cultured exosomes with bovine MSCs, and performed lncRNA sequencing of exosomes. The results showed that lipid droplets appeared in bovine MSCs under the co-culture system, and the expression levels of the PPARγ and CEBPA, which were lipogenesis-related genes, were significantly elevated. In addition, this study identified 3425 lncRNAs in adipocyte-derived exosomes, and the target genes of these lncRNAs were significantly enriched in gene functions and pathways related to transcriptional regulation, cellular differentiation, lipogenesis, and metabolism. It is worth noting that lncRNA-DGAT2 (lncDGAT2) can competitively bind to bta-miR-2455, increase the expression of target gene DGAT2, and promote adipogenic transdifferentiation of MSCs. In summary, bovine adipocytes can regulate the adipogenic transdifferentiation of MSCs through exosomes and exosomal lncRNAs. This study provides new insights into the regulation mechanism of bovine intramuscular fat deposition.
