K. Y. Chung

Adipogenic gene expression and fatty acid composition in subcutaneous adipose tissue depots of Angus steers between 9 and 16 months of age

We have demonstrated that among carcass adipose tissue depots, brisket subcutaneous adipose tissue contains the greatest concentration of MUFA and lowest concentration of SFA. Therefore, we hypothesized that brisket subcutaneous adipose tissue depots would exhibit greater adipogenic gene expression over time than other major subcutaneous adipose tissue depots. Four Angus steers, each at 9, 12, 14, and 16 mo of age, were harvested and fresh subcutaneous adipose tissue samples were collected from over the brisket, chuck, rib, loin, sirloin, round, flank, and plate. Relative gene expression for C/EBPβ, PPARγ, carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 beta (CPT-1β), stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase (SCD), AMP-activated protein kinase alpha (AMPKα), and G-coupled protein receptor 43 (GPR43) was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. Expression of C/EBPβ, PPARγ, and CPT-1β was greatest at 12 to 14 mo of age (all P < 0.0001) and declined to very low abundance by 16 mo of age in all depots. Expression of PPARγ and CPT-1β was greater (P < 0.03) in flank, rib, and sirloin subcutaneous adipose tissues than in brisket and round adipose tissues. The expression of the SCD gene did not differ among the 4 age groups (P = 0.95). The palmitoleic:stearic acid ratio (an estimate of SCD activity) was greater (P < 0.001) in the subcutaneous adipose tissues from brisket, plate, and round than in the loin, rib, and sirloin. Conversely, subcutaneous adipose tissue from the loin, rib, and sirloin had greater (P < 0.001) SCD gene expression than the brisket, plate, and round. In general, subcutaneous adipose tissues with the highest concentration of MUFA and least SFA consistently exhibited the least SCD gene expression and adipogenic gene expression. We conclude that MUFA in the brisket and other depots with large SCD indices were deposited before 9 mo of age, during a time when the subcutaneous adipocytes were highly differentiated.

Historical Overview of the Effect of β -Adrenergic Agonists on Beef Cattle Production

Postnatal muscle hypertrophy of beef cattle is the result of enhanced myofibrillar protein synthesis and reduced protein turnover. Skeletal muscle hypertrophy has been studied in cattle fed β-adrenergic agonists (β-AA), which are receptor-mediated enhancers of protein synthesis and inhibitors of protein degradation. Feeding β-AA to beef cattle increases longissimus muscle cross-sectional area 6% to 40% compared to non-treated cattle. The β-AA have been reported to improve live animal performance, including average daily gain, feed efficiency, hot carcass weight, and dressing percentage. Treatment with β-AA increased mRNA concentration of the β2 or β1-adrenergic receptor and myosin heavy chain IIX in bovine skeletal muscle tissue. This review will examine the effects of skeletal muscle and adipose development with β-AA, and will interpret how the use of β-AA affects performance, body composition, and growth in beef cattle.

Co-culture of bovine muscle satellite cells with preadipocytes increases PPARγ and C/EBPβ gene expression in differentiated myoblasts and increases GPR43 gene expression in adipocytes.

We hypothesized that preadipocyte differentiation would be depressed by differentiating myoblasts, whereas preadipocytes would promote adipogenic gene expression in myoblasts in a co-culture system. We also determined the effects of arginine, a biological precursor of nitric oxide, and/or trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on adipogenic gene expression during differentiation of bovine preadipocytes and myoblasts. Bovine semimembranosus satellite cells (BSC) and subcutaneous preadipocytes were isolated from crossbred steers and cultured with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS)/Dulbeccos modified Eagle medium (DMEM) and 1% antibiotics during the 3-day proliferation period. After proliferation, BSC and preadipocytes were treated for 3 days with 3% horse serum/DMEM and 5% FBS/DMEM with antibiotics, respectively. Media also contained 100 μM oleic acid, 10 μg/ml insulin, 1 μg/ml pioglitazone and 1 μg/ml dexamethasone. Subsequently, the differentiating myoblasts and adipocytes were cultured in their respective media with 5 mM arginine and/or 40 μM trans-10, cis-12 CLA for 4 days. Finally, myoblasts and adipocytes were single- or co-cultured for 2 h singly or in combination. Arginine stimulated SCD gene expression, whereas CLA depressed SCD gene expression in adipocytes and myoblasts (P=.002). Co-culture of adipocytes and myoblasts elicited an increase in C/EBPβ and PPARγ gene expression in differentiated myoblasts (P≤.01) and an increase in GPR43 gene expression in adipocytes (P=.01). Expression of AMPKα and CPT1ß was unaffected by co-culture, although SCD gene expression tended (P=.12) to be depressed by co-culture. These experiments demonstrated that co-culture of adipocytes with myoblasts increased adipogenic gene expression in the myoblastic cells.

AMPKα, C/EBPβ, CPT1β, GPR43, PPARγ, and SCD Gene Expression in Single- and Co-cultured Bovine Satellite Cells and Intramuscular Preadipocytes Treated with Palmitic, Stearic, Oleic, and Linoleic Acid

We previously demonstrated that bovine subcutaneous preadipocytes promote adipogenic gene expression in muscle satellite cells in a co-culture system. Herein we hypothesize that saturated fatty acids would promote adipogenic/lipogenic gene expression, whereas mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids would have the opposite effect. Bovine semimembranosus satellite cells (BSC) and intramuscular preadipocytes (IPA) were isolated from crossbred steers and cultured with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS)/Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) and 1% antibiotics during the 3-d proliferation period. After proliferation, cells were treated for 3 d with 3% horse serum/DMEM (BSC) or 5% FBS/DMEM (IPA) with antibiotics. Media also contained 10 μg/mL insulin and 10 μg/mL pioglitazone. Subsequently, differentiating BSC and IPA were cultured in their respective media with 40 μM palmitic, stearic, oleic, or linoleic acid for 4 d. Finally, BSC and IPA were single- or co-cultured for an additional 2 h. All fatty acid treatments increased (p = 0.001) carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 beta (CPT1β) gene expression, but the increase in CPT1β gene expression was especially pronounced in IPA incubated with palmitic and stearic acid (6- to 17- fold increases). Oleic and linoleic acid decreased (p = 0.001) stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) gene expression over 80% in both BSC and IPA. Conversely, palmitic and stearic acid increased SCD gene expression three fold in co-cultured in IPA, and stearic acid increased AMPKα gene expression in single- and co-cultured BSC and IPA. Consistent with our hypothesis, saturated fatty acids, especially stearic acid, promoted adipogenic and lipogenic gene expression, whereas unsaturated fatty acids decreased expression of those genes associated with fatty acid metabolism.

Oleic acid enhances G protein coupled receptor 43 expression in bovine intramuscular adipocytes but not in subcutaneous adipocytes

We hypothesized that fatty acids would differentially affect G protein coupled receptor (GPR) 43 mRNA expression and GPR43 protein concentrations in bovine intramuscular (IM) and subcutaneous (SC) adipocytes. The GPR43 protein was detected in bovine liver, pancreas, and semimembranosus (MUS) muscle in samples taken at slaughter. Similarly, GPR43 protein levels were similar in IM adipose tissue and SM muscle but was barely detectable in SC adipose tissue. Primary cultures of IM and SC stromal vascular cells were isolated from bovine adipose tissues. Oleic acid (100 μ) stimulated PPARγ gene expression and decreased stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) gene expression but had no effect on GPR43 gene expression, which was readily detectable in both IM and SC adipocytes. Differentiation cocktail (Diff; 10 μ insulin, 4 μ dexamethasone, and 10 μ ciglitizone) stimulated CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ) and PPARγ gene expression in SC but not IM adipocytes, but Diff increased SCD gene expression in both cell types. Linoleic acid (10 µ) increased PPARγ gene expression relative to Diff cocktail in SC adipocytes, whereas linoleic acid and α-linolenic decreased SCD gene expression relative to control adipocytes and adipocytes incubated with Diff ( < 0.05). Increasing concentrations of oleic acid (1, 10, 100, and 500 μM) increased GPR43 protein and mRNA expression in IM but not SC adipocytes. These data indicated that oleic acid alters mRNA and protein concentrations of GPR43 in bovine IM adipocytes.

Current situation and future prospects for beef production in South Korea — A review

Hanwoo cattle are an important food source in Korea and their supply can have a major impact on meat availability for Korean consumers. The Hanwoo population was 1.8 million head in 2005 and gradually increased to 2.6 million in 2015. Per capita beef consumption has also increased, to 11.6 kg per year in 2015, and is expected to continue to increase. Because intramuscular fat percentage is a critical contributor to meat quality, Hanwoo cattle are fed a high-energy corn-based diet for long fattening periods. Long fed diet causes significant alterations in fat percentage in the loin muscle and other areas of the carcass. However, these long feeding periods increase feeding costs and beef prices. Recently, there has been increased Korean consumer demand for lean beef which has less fat, but is tender and priced more reasonably. These consumer demands on the Korean beef industry are driving differing beef production systems and also changes to the beef grading methodology. Korean government has made a significant investment to select bulls with favorable production traits using progeny testing. Progeny tested bull semen has been disseminated to all Hanwoo farmers. A beef traceability system has been employed for all cattle breeds in Korea since 2009. Hanwoo cattle are ear-marked with a 12-digit identification number from birth to slaughter. This number allows traceability of the management history of individual cattle, and also provides information to consumers. Traceability including management information such as herd, farm, year of birth, and carcass data can determine estimated breeding values of Hanwoo. For a sustainable Hanwoo industry, research scientists in Korea have attempted to develop feeds for efficient fattening periods and precision feeding systems based on genetic information for Hanwoo cattle. These initiatives aim to Korean consumer demands for beef and provide more precision management in beef production in Korea.

Gender-dependent difference in serum paraoxonase 1 levels of Hanwoo, Korean native cattle, and a positive association with meat quality

Objective Paraoxonase 1 (PON1), a calcium-dependent serum enzyme, has been shown to be involved in lipid metabolism. In this study, we examined the putative correlation of the serum PON1 level of Hanwoo, Korean native cattle, with gender and meat quality grade. Methods PON1 levels were estimated by determining the arylesterase and paraoxonase activities (AE and PO, respectively) in serum samples from Hanwoo individuals (n = 56). Serum PON1 levels were analyzed in different gender groups (female [n = 21], castrated male [n = 17], and male [n = 18]), and meat quality grades (≥1 [n = 23], 2 [n = 21], and 3 [n = 12]). Results Serum PON1 levels were similar in female (AE = 120±55 U/mL, PO = 84±43 mU/mL) and castrated male (123±44 U/mL, PO = 89±30 mU/mL), while male showed a significantly lower level (AE = 65±43 U/mL, PO = 44±34 mU/mL). Furthermore, analysis of serum PON1 levels in three different grades of meat quality showed similar levels in the grades ≥1 (AE = 118±49 U/mL, PO = 84±37 mU/mL) and 2 (AE = 116±54 U/mL, PO = 82±43 mU/mL), while the level was significantly lower in the grade 3 (AE = 58±35 U/mL, PO = 39±27 mU/mL) of lower meat quality. Conclusion We discovered the gender-dependent differences in serum PON1 levels of Hanwoo and a positive association of the serum PON1 level with meat quality. Results in this study suggest that PON1 would be a useful serum marker for preliminary screening of Hanwoo individuals with high-quality meat and applicable for genetic improvement.