An Integrated Multi-Omics Study of Mammalian Skeletal, Cardiac, and Smooth Muscles

Muscle tissue, as a major tissue type, is classified by its structure and function into smooth, cardiac, and skeletal muscle. However, comprehensive studies on the evolutionary conservation of molecular differences among these three muscle tissues have been limited. In this study, we employed pigs and mice as models to perform multi-omics profiling (transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome) of these three muscle tissues in order to define their molecular landscapes. Furthermore, we characterized skeletal muscle metabolic heterogeneity. We identified 207 genes enriched in striated muscle, including poorly characterized genes such as <i>LRRC2</i> and <i>PPP1R14C</i>. Distinct sets of genes and metabolites, conserved between the two species, were specifically enriched in each tissue: skeletal muscle (121 genes and 6 metabolites), cardiac muscle (57 genes and no specific metabolites), and smooth muscle (349 genes and 11 metabolites). Notably, the currently unannotated gene <i>LRRC20</i> was most enriched in skeletal muscle, followed by cardiac muscle, and showed negligible expression in smooth muscle, suggesting its potential as a functional research target. Within skeletal muscle, 14 fast-twitch and 6 slow-twitch fiber-enriched metabolites were identified. In particular, 10-Deacetylbaccatin III was enriched in skeletal muscle and, more specifically, highly enriched in fast-twitch fibers, marking it as a promising and novel research target. These results provide a resource for research in both medicine and agricultural science.