Obese and lean porcine difference of FoxO1 and its regulation through C/EBPβ and PI3K/GSK3β signaling pathway

Forkhead box O 1 (FoxO1) is an important transcription factor implicated in adipogenesis. In this study, we detected the breed differences in FoxO1 between Bamei pigs (an obese breed) and Large White pigs (a lean breed). Compared with Large White pigs, the BW of Bamei pigs was lower (P < 0.01), but back fat thickness, fat percent, and intramuscular fat content were greater (P < 0.01). The levels of FoxO1 mRNA and protein were lower (P < 0.01) in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of Bamei pigs at 180 d, adipocytes and stromal-vascular fraction extracted from SAT of Bamei pigs at 1 d compared with Large White pigs. Knockdown of FoxO1 increased triglyceride content (P < 0.01) and upregulated the levels of adipocyte fatty-acid binding protein, PPARγ, and CCAAT enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα) at 6 d after porcine preadipocytes were induced. Furthermore, the transcriptional regulation of FoxO1 through C/EBPβ during early porcine preadipocyte differentiation and the effect of insulin on phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K)/glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) signal pathway by FoxO1 were examined. The results indicated that FoxO1 inhibited transcription activity of C/EBPβ, whereas C/EBPβ did not affect transcription activity of FoxO1. At 6 and 12 h of early differentiation, knockdown of FoxO1 triggered the transcription activity of C/EBPβ. In addition, FoxO1 protein interacted with C/EBPβ protein in porcine adipocytes at 12 h after induction. Under treatment with 100 nM insulin, knockdown or overexpression of FoxO1 mediated PI3K/GSK3β signaling via upregulating or downregulating the levels of GSK3β and its phosphorylation in adipocytes. Taken together, there is low, but detectable, expression of FoxO1 in SAT of obese pigs and FoxO1 inhibited adipogenesis through C/EBPβ and PI3K/GSK3β signaling pathway. These findings provide useful information to further the understanding of the function of FoxO1 in porcine adipogenesis.