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Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analysis Reveals VASH1 Influences Pork Quality by Regulating Skeletal
Fen Wu1, Yihan Fu1, Jiabao Sun1
1Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Breeding for High-Quality Animal Products, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
|November 27, 2025
Summary
Chinese Jinhua pigs show lower muscle glycogen, indicating better meat quality. This study identifies VASH1 as a key regulator of glycolysis, offering a target for improving pork quality through genetic selection.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Biochemistry
- Genetics
Background:
- Glycolytic potential (GP) impacts meat quality, with high muscle glycogen leading to rapid postmortem glycolysis and reduced quality.
- Chinese local pigs (Jinhua) naturally exhibit better meat quality than Western breeds (Landrace × Yorkshire), making them ideal models for studying glycolysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying differences in muscle glycolysis between Jinhua (JH) and Landrace × Yorkshire (LY) pigs.
- To identify biomarkers and genetic targets for improving pork quality by modulating muscle glycolytic levels.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of transcriptome and metabolome data from the biceps femoris (BF) muscle of JH and LY pigs at different ages.
- Pathway enrichment analysis to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and metabolic pathways.
- Integration of multi-omics data to identify key regulatory genes.
Main Results:
- JH pigs had lower intramuscular glycogen content and reduced glycogenesis capacity compared to LY pigs.
- DEGs were enriched in glycolysis, glycogenesis, and TCA cycle pathways, which were suppressed in JH pigs.
- Metabolomic analysis revealed increased lipids and amino acids, and decreased carbohydrate metabolites in JH pigs.
- VASH1 was identified as a biomarker for muscle glycolysis; its knockdown enhanced glycolysis and glycogenesis via the AMPK pathway.
Conclusions:
- VASH1 plays a crucial role in regulating muscle glycolysis and impacts meat quality.
- VASH1 is a potential target for genetic selection to enhance muscle glycolytic levels and improve pork quality in pigs.
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