Transcriptomics Analysis of the Adipogenic Differentiation Mechanism of Bovine Adipose-Derived Neural Crest Stem Cells

The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of related genes during the differentiation process of baNCSCs into adipocytes using transcriptomics technique, thereby clarifying the potential mechanism underlying baNCSCs differentiation into adipocytes and providing insights into lipid metabolism and regulation of lipid deposition in ruminants. Transcriptomic analysis was conducted on the adipocytes of baNCSCs on days 0 (CON0), 3 (DIF3), and 9 (DIF9) of differentiation. The results showed that in the early stage of adipocyte differentiation of baNCSCs, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are mainly involved in metabolic pathways such as chromosome modification, cell cycle progression, and regulation of stem cell pluripotency. In the middle and late stages of differentiation, DEGs are mainly involved in metabolic pathways such as changes in cell morphology and synthesis of fatty acids and triglycerides. Predicting the top 10 core hub genes (CHGs) in the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network that regulate various differentiation stages of adipocytes reveals that <i>ERBB2</i>, <i>EGFR</i>, and <i>MYC</i> are upregulated during the early differentiation stage. In contrast, <i>ITGB1</i>, <i>KRAS</i>, <i>CCND1</i>, <i>ACTB</i>, <i>VEGFA</i>, <i>MET</i>, and <i>HRAS</i> are downregulated. During the middle and late stages of differentiation, the expressions of <i>TP53</i>, <i>CASP3</i>, <i>STAT3</i>, <i>CTNNB1</i>, <i>JUN</i>, <i>EGFR</i>, and <i>MYC</i> are upregulated, while <i>IGF1R</i>, <i>PTEN</i>, and <i>HRAS</i> are downregulated. In conclusion, the primary enrichment pathways of DEGs vary at distinct stages of adipocyte induction and differentiation in baNCSCs.