DNA methylation in adipocyte differentiation of porcine mesenchymal stem cells and the impact of the donor metabolic type

Abstract

The impact of metabolic donor mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on DNA methylation, a critical epigenetic mechanism, significantly regulates adipogenesis. In this study, we investigated epigenetic changes during differentiation of synovial MSCs (SMSCs) from two pig breeds differing in metabolic performance (German Landrace (DL) and Angeln Saddleback (AS)). Stimulation of SMSCs to differentiate into adipocytes in vitro revealed several differentially methylated loci and regions, particularly on gene promoter regions, at day 7 and 14. AS breeds, known for higher fat deposition, exhibited more hypermethylation compared to DL. Furthermore, we utilized differentially methylated regions associated with the adipogenic process and breed, especially those in promoter regions, for predicting transcription factor motifs. This study provides insights into the DNA methylation landscape during adipogenesis in pigs of different metabolic types, revealing its role in regulating cell fate and donor memory retention in culture.

Keywords: Adipogenesis; Epigenetics; Pig; RRBS; Stem cell differentiation.