Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARG) has various splicing variants and plays essential roles in the regulation of adipocyte differentiation and lipogenesis. However, little is known about the expression pattern and effect of the PPARG on milk fat synthesis in the buffalo mammary gland.
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Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARG) has various splicing variants and plays essential roles in the regulation of adipocyte differentiation and lipogenesis. However, little is known about the expression pattern and effect of the PPARG on milk fat synthesis in the buffalo mammary gland. In this study, we found that only
PPARG-X17 and
PPARG-X21 of the splicing variant were expressed in the buffalo mammary gland. Amino acid sequence characterization showed that the proteins encoded by
PPARG-X17 and
PPARG-X21 are endonuclear non-secreted hydrophilic proteins. Protein domain prediction found that only the
PPARG-X21-encoded protein had PPAR ligand-binding domains (NR_LBD_PPAR), which may lead to functional differences between the two splices. RNA interference (RNAi) and the overexpression of
PPARG-X17 and
PPARG-X21 in buffalo mammary epithelial cells (BMECs) were performed. Results showed that the expression of fatty acid synthesis-related genes (
ACACA,
CD36,
ACSL1,
GPAT,
AGPAT6,
DGAT1) was significantly modified (
p < 0.05) by the RNAi and overexpression of
PPARG-X17 and
PPARG-X21. All kinds of FAs detected in this study were significantly decreased (
p < 0.05) after RNAi of
PPARG-X17 or
PPARG-X21. Overexpression of
PPARG-X17 or
PPARG-X21 significantly decreased (
p < 0.05) the SFA content, while significantly increased (
p < 0.05) the UFA, especially the MUFA in the BMECs. In conclusion, there are two
PPARG splicing variants expressed in the BMECs that can regulate FA synthesis by altering the expression of diverse fatty acid synthesis-related genes. This study revealed the expression characteristics and functions of the
PPARG gene in buffalo mammary glands and provided a reference for further understanding of fat synthesis in buffalo milk.
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