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The Function of the Lysophospholipase 1 (LYPLA1) Gene in Fetal Sheep Myoblast Proliferation and Myogenic Differentiation
by
, and
Zhanpeng Zhang
1,2,3,
Yi Yin
1,2,3,
Huiguo Yang
4,
Kanati Shalike
4,
Yanglin Nie
5,
Xiukai Cao
1,2,
Zehu Yuan
1,2
and
Wei Sun
1,2,3,* 1
Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
2
International Joint Research Laboratory in Universities of Jiangsu Province of China for Domestic Animal Germplasm Resources and Genetic Improvement, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
3
College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
4
Institute of Animal Husbandry, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Sciences, Urumqi 830013, China
5
Anin Dairy (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd., Huaian 211600, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2025, 15(23), 3474; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15233474 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 14 November 2025
/
Revised: 1 December 2025
/
Accepted: 1 December 2025
/
Published: 2 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Evaluation for Economically Relevant Traits in Small Ruminants)
Simple Summary
This study aimed to investigate whether a candidate gene (LYPLA1) associated with sheep growth affects the proliferation and differentiation of fetal sheep myoblasts. Myoblasts were isolated from fetal sheep skeletal muscle. Our findings revealed that knocking down LYPLA1 gene activity significantly reduced muscle cell proliferation and differentiation. Conversely, increasing LYPLA1 gene activity effectively promoted myoblast proliferation and differentiation. These results demonstrate that LYPLA1 influences fetal sheep myoblast proliferation and differentiation. This study provides important theoretical support for the use of LYPLA1 as a molecular marker for improving sheep meat traits and is expected to have potential value in improving livestock production efficiency and promoting agricultural economic development.
Abstract
Evidence from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) links genetic variants near the LYPLA1 locus to variations in sheep muscle development. To further investigate whether LYPLA1 expression plays a role in fetal sheep myoblast development, we performed gain-of-function/loss-of-function analyses targeting LYPLA1 using siRNA and recombinant vectors. CCK-8 assays, EdU staining, and flow cytometry were used to investigate the effects of both LYPLA1 knockdown and overexpression on the proliferation of fetal sheep myoblasts. Furthermore, this study investigated the effect of LYPLA1 on myogenic differentiation by means of indirect immunofluorescence staining with MyHC and quantitative analysis of myogenic regulatory factor (MRF) expression. The results showed that downregulation of LYPLA1 significantly reduced cell viability and proliferation rate, arrested myoblasts in the G2 phase, and inhibited proliferation. These effects were reversed when LYPLA1 was overexpressed. Furthermore, LYPLA1 knockdown significantly impaired myotube formation during terminal differentiation (days 5–7). This defect was correlated with a marked reduction in the expression of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs). This effect was reversed when LYPLA1 was highly expressed. In summary, this study demonstrates that LYPLA1 promotes the proliferation and differentiation of fetal sheep myoblasts, establishing its potential as a target for the molecular breeding of sheep.
Keywords:
sheep growth; LYPLA1; myoblasts; proliferation; differentiation
