Expression of lipogenic genes in the muscle of beef cattle fed oilseeds and vitamin E

Abstract

Different fat ingredients and their fatty acids may influence the expression of genes responsible to encode enzymes and proteins linked to adipose tissue deposition, influencing beef quality. Therefore, the objective was to analyze the expression of PPARA, SREBF1 and genes involved in lipid metabolism in longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle of cattle fed diets containing soybean or cottonseed with or without vitamin E. Twenty-eight bulls were used in a completely randomized design using a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. The inclusion of soybean and cottonseed in the diets provided 64.8 g kg⁻¹ and 65.6 g kg⁻¹ of ether extract, respectively, and vitamin E supplementation was 2500 IU per day. The PPARA expression was greater and SREBF1 expression was lower in the muscle of animals fed soybean (P < .01). Vitamin E reduced the expression of SREBF1 in animals fed cottonseed and increased its expression in animals fed soybean (P < .01). Expression of LPL and ACACA increased when bulls were fed with soybean (P < .01) and their expression was upregulated when animals received vitamin E (P < .03). Expression of SCD was higher when cottonseed and no vitamin E diet were used (P < .01). In conclusion, supplementation with vitamin E alters the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism in LT muscle, indicating that α-tocopherol is a cell-signaling molecule.