Knockdown of adiponectin promotes the adipogenesis of goat intramuscular preadipocytes

Intramuscular fat (IMF) content determined by the intramuscular preadipocytes differentiation has a huge influence on the sensory quality traits of meats. It was reported that the adiponectin (ADIPOQ) gene could promote adipocytes differentiation, but the underlying molecular and functional characterization of the ADIPOQ for regulating goat IMF deposition remained unknown. Herein, the knockdown of ADIPOQ was mediated by siRNAs during goat intramuscular preadipocytes differentiation. Also, the qRT-PCR technique was performed to detect the mRNA levels of target genes in multiply experiment groups. These results showed that the ADIPOQ was expressed more than ∼400 folds in subcutaneous adipose tissue compared to that of heart tissue, and the mRNA level of ADIPOQ reached a peak at Hour 60 during the differentiation process, while at Hour 36 did ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2. Moreover, the knockdown of ADIPOQ promoted the intramuscular preadipocytes differentiation and accelerated the lipid accumulation in the mature adipocytes with down-regulating the ADIPOR1 and preadipocyte factor 1 (Pref-1) mRNA levels and up-regulating the mRNA expression levels of the CAAT/enhancer-binding proteins (C/EBPs) and transcription factor peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), etc. Our study will provide a new opposite insight that the inhibition of ADIPOQ expression during intramuscular preadipocytes differentiation promotes goat IMF deposition.