Expression Changes of Caveolin Family Genes in Longissimus Dorsi Muscle and Back Subcutaneous Fat of Two Pig Breeds

摘要

Caveolins have important roles in the organization of detergent-insoluble lipid rafts, trafficking of cholesterol and anchoring of signaling molecules. In this study, the expression patterns of Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), Caveolin-2 (Cav-2) and Caveolin 3 (Cav-3) genes were investigated in the longissimus dorsi muscle and back subcutaneous fat of Berkshire and Yacha pigs at the age of 6 months using quantitative real-time PCR. The results showed that Cav-1 and -2 mRNA were abundantly expressed in back subcutaneous fat. The expression patterns of Cav-1 and -2 were similar in the two pig breeds. The expression levels in the back subcutaneous fat were significantly higher in Yacha pigs than in Berkshire pigs (p<0.01). Cav-3 was expressed predominantly in the longissimus dorsi muscle and the Berkshire pig had higher Cav-3 mRNA levels compared with the Yacha pig (p<0.01). These results indicate that the mRNAs of Cav family genes exhibit specific expression changes between Berkshire and Yacha pigs. The data contributes to the elucidation of the relationship between meat quality and Cav family genes expression and provides a basis for further study on the mutual regulation mechanism of Cav family genes.