Identification and characterization of long non-coding RNAs in subcutaneous adipose tissue from castrated and intact full-sib pair Huainan male pigs

Abstract Background Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate adipose tissue metabolism, however, their function on testosterone deficiency related obesity in humans is less understood. For this research, intact and castrated male pigs are the best model animal because of their similar proportional organ sizes, cardiovascular systems and metabolic features. Results We identified lncRNAs in subcutaneous adipose tissue by deep RNA-sequencing using the intact and castrated Huainan male pigs. The results showed that castration reduced serum testosterone but increased body fatness-related traits (serum triglyceride levels, backfat thickness, intramuscular fat content, and adipocyte size). Meanwhile, 343 lncRNAs from subcutaneous adipose tissue were identified, including 223 intergenic lncRNAs (lincRNAs), 68 anti-sense lncRNAs, and 52 intronic lncRNAs. It was predicted that there were 416 recognition sites for C/EBPα in the 303 lncRNA promoter region, and 13 adipogenesis-promoting miRNAs and five adipogenesis-depressing miRNAs target these lncRNAs. Eighteen lncRNAs, including nine up- and nine down-regulated had more than 2-fold differential expression between the castrated and intact male pigs ( q- value  NR2F2 ) gene. In 3 T3-L1 cells, differentiation down-regulated their expression, but dihydrotestosterone (DHT) significantly up-regulated their expression in a concentration-dependent manner ( P Conclusions These results suggested that lncRNAs and their target genes might participated in the castration-induced fat deposition and provide a new therapeutic target for combatting testosterone deficiency-related obesity.