Depot-specific gene expression profiles during differentiation and transdifferentiation of bovine muscle satellite cells, and differentiation of preadipocytes

We report a systematic study of gene expression during myogenesis and transdifferentiation in four bovine muscle tissues and of adipogenesis in three bovine fat tissues using DNA microarray analysis. One hundred hybridizations were performed and 7245 genes of known and unknown function were identified as being differentially expressed. Supervised hierarchical cluster analysis of gene expression patterns revealed the tissue specificity of genes. A close relationship in global gene expression observed for adipocyte-like cells derived from muscle and adipocytes derived from intramuscular fat suggests a common origin for these cells. The role of transthyretin in myogenesis is a novel finding. Different genes were highly induced during the transdifferentiation of myogenic satellite cells and in the adipogenesis of preadipocytes, indicating the involvement of different molecular mechanisms in these processes. Induction of CD36 and FABP4 expression in adipocyte-like cells and adipocytes may share a common pathway.