tRFs参与猪脂肪沉积和脂肪炎症应答的分子调控机制研究

tRNA衍生片段（tRFs）作为一种新型表观遗传分子，除了能像miRNAs一样调控靶基因的表达，还能调控基因组水平的蛋白质翻译效率。目前关于tRFs在猪脂肪沉积过程中的遗传调控机理还不清楚。本项目基于申请人团队前期预备实验中tRFs参与小鼠脂肪沉积以及小鼠心肌肥大遗传调控的实验结果，拟绘制脂肪型和瘦肉型猪的皮下脂肪和内脏脂肪组织的tRFs转录组图谱，通过品种间和组织间的比较揭示tRFs在猪的脂肪沉积和脂肪炎症中的作用。并在细胞水平验证筛选出的关键tRFs的生物学功能，进而揭示潜在的tRFs调控猪脂肪组织代谢的表观遗传通路。此外，结合翻译组测序技术揭示tRFs参与调控脂肪细胞的蛋白质翻译的作用机制。研究成果将丰富猪脂肪沉积这一重要经济性状的表观遗传调控网络。同时，为人类肥胖疾病的研究提供新思路。

Transfer RNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are taken as a new epigenetics molecule, which could not only regulate the expression of target genes just like miRNAs, but also regulate the protein translation efficiency at genome level. However, the genetic mechanism underlying the function of tRFs on regulating pig fat deposition is still not clear. Based on previous results of my lab that tRFs respond to adipocyte metabolism and Myocardial Hypertrophy of mice, this study is aimed to sequence the tRFs transcriptome of both subcutaneous fat and visceral fat tissues from fat pigs and lean pigs, respectively. The comparative analysis of tRFs transcriptome in different breeds and tissues would help to explain the biological functions of tRFs on fat deposition and fat inflammation, respectively. Meanwhile, both cell and molecular experiments will be conducted to verify the pivotal tRFs related to fat deposition and fat inflammation, which could help to understand the underlying epigenetic regulatory networks related to pig adipose metabolism. Moreover, all those could further reveal the tRFs’ action mechanism of regulating protein translation in adipocytes. This study will enrich the epigenetic regulatory network related to pig fat deposition, which is an important economic trait. Besides, it would also provide new ideas for study on human obesity diseases.