SNP identification and analysis in part of intron 2 of goat MSTN gene and variation within and among species

Part of intron 2 of the myostatin (MSTN) gene of 140 goats from 24 populations and 38 sheep from 8 breeds were sequenced, and similar sequences of different species from Gene bank were also obtained to study MSTN diversity within and among species. The results indicated that there were seven polymorphic sites in the sequenced region of goat, which have not been separated by recombination (or recurrent mutation), presented complete linkage disequilibrium, and could be sorted into three haplotypes. There was no polymorphic site in the sequenced region of sheep. The haplotype diversity, nucleotide diversity, and average number of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) differences of goats from the South group are higher than those of North group, and the corresponding value of the Foreign group is also higher than that of Chinese. The genetic differentiation (0.7558) between the Foreign and Chinese group is significant. There are two main haplotypes of the MSTN intron 2 in the goat, which may represent two ancestral types, in support of the theory that domestic goats in the world mainly originated from two ancestors based on morphology, history, archaeology, and molecular markers. The sequence differences of the MSTN intron 2 among species are greater than those within species.     

鲤鱼肌肉生长抑制素基因(MSTN)的克隆及其组织表达特征

肌肉生长抑制素(Myostatin,MSTN)是动物肌肉发育和生长过程中的负调控因子,对MSTN的研究将有助于促进动物生产。鲤鱼是我国的主要淡水养殖对象之一。因此,我们采用RT-PCR方法克隆了鲤鱼MSTN cDNA(No.EF551058)的部分序列,长度为921bp,编码306个氨基酸残基。鲤鱼MSTN具有MSTN的共同特征,有蛋白酶水解位点RIRR和9个保守的半胱氨酸残基。多重序列比较发现其与斑马鱼GDF8有极近的亲缘关系,96.7%的氨基酸序列同源。不同组织的RT-PCR分析发现鲤鱼MSTN主要在肌肉和脑部表达,而其他所检测组织未见表达。鲤鱼MSTN不仅在肌肉生长发育中发挥作用,可能在神经系统发育中也有其作用。     

绵羊肌肉生长抑制素MSTN原核表达及其纳米抗体文库的构建与鉴定

克隆绵羊肌肉生长抑制素（myostatin,MSTN）基因并在大肠杆菌中诱导表达,纯化重组蛋白免疫健康的双峰驼（Bactrian camel）,分离其外周血淋巴细胞提取总RNA,利用RT-PCR扩增骆驼重链抗体IgG2、IgG3的可变区（VHH）基因片段,将VHH片段与pCANTAB5E连接后电转入大肠杆菌TG1构建纳米抗体文库。结果显示,纳米抗体文库容量为9.5×10⁵,挑取部分克隆进行测序分析,所获得的纳米抗体文库具有良好的多态性,为进一步筛选绵羊MSTN的高特异性纳米抗体片段奠定了基础。     

牛肌肉生长抑制素基因突变的遗传效应与育种应用

肌肉生长抑制素（myostatin,MSTN）基因主要在骨骼肌中表达,参与调控骨骼肌的生长发育。MSTN基因在不同物种中具有极强的进化保守性,同时还具有较多的突变多态性。在牛的不同品种中,存在不同位点的有义突变,突变型牛均表现为骨骼肌发达,呈现双肌表型,生长速度与产肉率显著提高。同时,该基因突变也引起显著的生理性遗传效应。对国内外肉牛的MSTN基因突变类型、突变后遗传效应及在肉牛育种应用等方面作了重点阐述,以期为我国地方品种肉牛改良和选育研究提供参考。     

The critical role of myostatin in differentiation of sheep myoblasts

Myostatin [MSTN, also known as growth differentiation factor 8 (GDF8)], is an inhibitor of skeletal muscle growth. Blockade of MSTN function has been reported to result in increased muscle mass in mice. However, its role in myoblast differentiation in farm animals has not been determined. In the present study, we sought to determine the role of MSTN in the differentiation of primary sheep myoblasts. We found that ectopic overexpression of MSTN resulted in lower fusion index in sheep myoblasts, which indicated the repression of myoblast differentiation. This phenotypic change was reversed by shRNA knockdown of the ectopically expressed MSTN in the cells. In contrast, shRNA knockdown of the endogenous MSTN resulted in induction of myogenic differentiation. Additional studies revealed that the induction of differentiation by knocking down the ectopically or endogenously expressed MSTN was accompanied by up-regulation of MyoD and myogenin, and down-regulation of Smad3. Our results demonstrate that MSTN plays critical role in myoblast differentiation in sheep, analogous to that in mice. This study also suggests that shRNA knockdown of MSTN could be a potentially promising approach to improve sheep muscle growth, so as to increase meat productivity.     

Contractile properties of EDL and soleus muscles of myostatin-deficient mice.

Myostatin is a negative regulator of muscle mass. The impact of myostatin deficiency on the contractile properties of healthy muscles has not been determined. We hypothesized that myostatin deficiency would increase the maximum tetanic force (P(o)), but decrease the specific P(o) (sP(o)) of muscles and increase the susceptibility to contraction-induced injury. The in vitro contractile properties of extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus muscles from wild-type (MSTN(+/+)), heterozygous-null (MSTN(+/-)), and homozygous-null (MSTN(-/-)) adult male mice were determined. For EDL muscles, the P(o) of both MSTN(+/-) and MSTN(-/-) mice were greater than the P(o) of MSTN(+/+) mice. For soleus muscles, the P(o) of MSTN(-/-) mice was greater than that of MSTN(+/+) mice. The sP(o) of EDL muscles of MSTN(-/-) mice was less than that of MSTN(+/+) mice. For soleus muscles, however, no difference in sP(o) was observed. Following two lengthening contractions, EDL muscles from MSTN(-/-) mice had a greater force deficit than that of MSTN(+/+) or MSTN(+/-) mice, whereas no differences were observed for the force deficits of soleus muscles. Myostatin-deficient EDL muscles had less hydroxyproline, and myostatin directly increased type I collagen mRNA expression and protein content. The difference in the response of EDL and soleus muscles to myostatin may arise from differences in the levels of a myostatin receptor, activin type IIB. Compared with the soleus, the amount of activin type IIB receptor was approximately twofold greater in EDL muscles. The results support a significant role for myostatin not only in the mass of muscles but also in the contractility and the composition of the extracellular matrix of muscles.     

MSTN基因siRNA表达载体的构建和鉴定

目的构建能沉默MSTN基因的小干扰RNA表达载体,并鉴定它沉默肌母细胞MSTN基因的效率。方法合成3对发夹小干扰RNA模板寡核苷酸链,退火后插入pSileneer载体．构建成可沉默MSTN基因的小干扰RNA表达载体,通过酶切和测序鉴定构建的小干扰RNA表达载体。将小干扰RNA表达载体转染肌母细胞,用实时荧光定量RT—PCR和Western印迹检测转染的肌母细胞myostatin的表达水平。结果酶切和测序证实3个小干扰RNA表达载体构建正确,实时荧光定量RT—PCR显示所构建的3个小干扰RNA表达载体对肌母细胞MSTN基因的干扰率分别为43．6％、47．7％和81．6％,它们的干扰效果被Western印迹所证实。结论干扰率为81．6％的小干扰RNA表达载体为构建成功的小干扰RNA表达载体,。岜可用作MSTN基因的功能研究和肌病治疗的分子研究。     

Cloning and expression of swine myostatin gene and its application in animal immunization trial

An important performance trait target in swine breeding is the percentage of the lean meat within the total consumable pork. China has numerous indige-nous swine breeds, but the percentage of the lean meat percentage is generally low. Thus, increasing the per-centage of the lean meat would improve the pork qual-ity, which would have great importance in the devel-opment of our livestock industry as well as the opti-mization of the consumers’ dietary. Throughout the years researchers have been …     

AMPK activation by AICAR inhibits myogenic differentiation and myostatin expression in Cattle

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) regulates metabolism in skeletal muscle, and myostatin (MSTN) negatively regulates skeletal muscle development and growth. In the present study, AMPK activation and the relationship between AMPK and MSTN during myogenic differentiation were investigated in cultures derived from bovine skeletal muscle. Myoblasts capable of forming myotubes were obtained from bovine skeletal muscle and treated with AICAR to activate AMPK, resulting in suppressed myotube formation. AICAR treatment significantly reduced the expression of MSTN mRNA during myogenic differentiation. Combined treatment with AICAR and MSTN suppressed myotube formation to a greater extent than AICAR alone. SB431542, an inhibitor of MSTN signaling, promoted myotube formation during myogenic differentiation. However, simultaneous treatment with AICAR blocked this effect of SB431542. Therefore, AMPK activation inhibits myogenic differentiation but may suppress MSTN expression to balance muscle development.     

Overexpression of the dominant-negative form of myostatin results in doubling of muscle-fiber number in transgenic medaka (Oryzias latipes)

In addition to altering the phenotypes of gene-modified animals, transgenesis also has the potential to facilitate access to the various mechanisms underlying the development and functioning of specific phenotypes and genes, respectively. Myostatin (MSTN) is implicated in double-muscling when mutated in mammals, indicating that MSTN is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle formation. In order to elucidate the role of an MSTN equivalent in fish muscle formation, we created a transgenic medaka strain that expresses dominant-negative MSTN exclusively in skeletal muscle, d-rR-Tg(OlMA1–C315Y–MSTN–hrGFPII–FLAG). The transgenic fish exhibited increased production of skeletal muscle fibers at the adult stage (hyperplasia), although gross muscle mass was not altered. During embryogenesis, ectopic accumulation and misalignment of muscle fibers, possibly due to muscle-fiber hypertrophy, were observed in the transgenic medaka. Our findings suggest that MSTN function is required for regulating the appropriate growth of skeletal muscle in medaka. Unlike in mammals, MSTN loss-of-function failed to induce double-muscling in medaka, despite the highly conserved nature of MSTN function among taxa.     

A Soluble Activin Receptor Type IIB Does Not Improve Blood Glucose in Streptozotocin-Treated Mice

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), or insulin dependent DM, is accompanied by decreased muscle mass. The growth factor myostatin (MSTN) is a negative regulator of muscle growth, and a loss of MSTN signaling has been shown to increase muscle mass and prevent the development of obesity, insulin resistance and lipodystrophic diabetes in mice. The effects of MSTN inhibition in a T1DM model on muscle mass and blood glucose are unknown. We asked whether MSTN inhibition would increase muscle mass and decrease hyperglycemia in mice treated with streptozotocin (STZ) to destroy pancreatic beta cells. After diabetes developed, mice were treated with a soluble MSTN/activin receptor fused to Fc (ACVR2B:Fc). ACVR2B:Fc increased body weight and muscle mass compared to vehicle treated mice. Unexpectedly, ACVR2B:Fc reproducibly exacerbated hyperglycemia within approximately one week of administration. ACVR2B:Fc treatment also elevated serum levels of the glucocorticoid corticosterone. These results suggest that although MSTN/activin inhibitors increased muscle mass, they may be counterproductive in improving health in patients with T1DM.     

Different regulation role of myostatin in differentiating pig ADSCs and MSCs into adipocytes

Myostation (MSTN), which is primarily expressed in muscle, plays an important role in myogenic and adipogenic cells. However, there is little information about whether MSTN displays different roles between adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and muscle satellite cells (MSCs). The two kinds of cells can both exist in the muscle and differentiate into adiposities. In this research, we isolated ADSCs and MSCs from porcine fat tissues and semitendinosus muscle, respectively, to investigate the effect of MSTN on the adipogenesis of those cells. ADSCs and MSCs were treated with recombinant human MSTN during the induction of adipogenesis or before the induction of differentiation. Then, we evaluated adipogenesis by Oil Red O staining and assessed the expression patterns of adipocyte-specific fatty acid binding protein (aP2) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ using real-time polymerase chain reaction methods. Our results indicated that the treatment with MSTN before or during the induction of differentiation in MSCs could both inhibit the adipogenesis. However, the treatment with MSTN only during the induction of differentiation in ADSCs could suppress the adipogenesis. Those results showed that MSTN had different roles in the adipogenesis of ADSCs and MSCs. It can shed new light on the origin of adipocyte located in muscle.     

Characterization of the complete porcine MSTN gene and expression levels in pig breeds differing in muscularity

Myostatin (MSTN), a transforming growth factor beta superfamily member, is an essential factor for the growth and development of muscle mass. The protein functions as a negative regulator of muscle growth and is related to the so-called double-muscling phenotype in cattle, where a series of mutations renders the gene inactive. One particular breed of pigs, the Belgian Piétrain, also shows a heavily muscled phenotype. The similarity of muscular phenotypes between the double-muscled cattle and Piétrain pigs indicated that MSTN may be a candidate gene for muscular hypertrophy in pigs. In this study, we sequenced and analysed the complete MSTN gene from 45 pigs of five different breeds, including the heavily muscled Piétrain breed at one extreme and the Meishan and Wild boar breeds at the other extreme. In total, 7626 bp of the porcine MSTN gene were sequenced, including the 5' and 3' UTR. Fifteen polymorphic loci were found, three of which were located in the promoter region, five in intron 1 and seven in intron 2. Most mutations were found when comparing the obtained MSTN sequence with porcine MSTN sequences already published. However, one polymorphism located at position 447 of the porcine MSTN promoter had a very high allele frequency in the Piétrain pig breed and disrupted a putative myocyte enhancer factor 3 binding site. Real-time PCR using Sybr Green showed that this mutation was associated with expression levels of the MSTN gene in m. longissimus dorsi at an age of 4 weeks.     

Knockdown of Myostatin Expression by RNAi Enhances Muscle Growth in Transgenic Sheep

Myostatin (MSTN) has been shown to be a negative regulator of skeletal muscle development and growth. MSTN dysfunction therefore offers a strategy for promoting animal growth performance in livestock production. In this study, we investigated the possibility of using RNAi-based technology to generate transgenic sheep with a double-muscle phenotype. A shRNA expression cassette targeting sheep MSTN was used to generate stable shRNA-expressing fibroblast clones. Transgenic sheep were further produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technology. Five lambs developed to term and three live lambs were obtained. Integration of shRNA expression cassette in three live lambs was confirmed by PCR. RNase protection assay showed that the shRNAs targeting MSTN were expressed in muscle tissues of three transgenic sheep. MSTN expression was significantly inhibited in muscle tissues of transgenic sheep when compared with control sheep. Moreover, transgenic sheep showed a tendency to faster increase in body weight than control sheep. Histological analysis showed that myofiber diameter of transgenic sheep M17 were bigger than that of control sheep. Our findings demonstrate a promising approach to promoting muscle growth in livestock production.     

The isolation, characterization, and expression of a novel GDF11 gene and a second myostatin form in zebrafish, Danio rerio

In the current study, the first non-mammalian growth/differentiation factor (GDF) 11-like homolog was cloned from zebrafish. At the nucleotide level, zebrafish GDF11 is most similar to human GDF11 (79%), while the peptide is most similar to mouse GDF11 (78%). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the zebrafish GDF11 clusters with mammalian GDF11s. This study also cloned a second MSTN form in zebrafish most similar to Salmonid MSTN2 forms. Based on real time PCR, GDF11 is expressed in multiple adult tissues, with levels highest in whole heads and gonads, and expression is less ubiquitous when compared to MSTN expression. During embryonic development, real time PCR demonstrated increasing GDF11 mRNA levels 10 h post-fertilization (hpf), while MSTN mRNA levels remain low until 48 hpf. This is the first report of a transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta superfamily member in a non-mammalian species that is more closely related to GDF11 than MSTN, and also a second form of MSTN in zebrafish; suggesting that a more complex TGF-beta superfamily array exists in primitive vertebrates than previously thought.     

军曹鱼肌生成抑制素基因的克隆与序列分析

肌生成抑制素(Myostation,MSTN)是一种骨骼肌生长的负调控因子,其生物功能主要是抑制骨骼肌的生长。肌生成抑制素的活性降低或丧失,可使肌肉与其他组织的比例大大提高,因此在动物育种和医疗上有很大的潜在应用价值。目前包括鱼类在内的20多种脊椎动物的MSTN cDNA已经得到克隆和测序。本实验依据已知的鱼MSTN cDNA的保守区域设计一对特异引物,利用PCR技术分别从军曹鱼基因组中扩增出一个约1000bp的特异片段和300bp片段,所得目的片段回收纯化,将其酶切产物连接到pMDl8-T克隆载体上,转化入JM109感受态细胞中,挑取阳性克隆进行转化子鉴定,其质粒测序结果与文献报道的一致,证明成功地克隆了军曹鱼肌生成抑制素基因。