PPP1CC Suppresses Preadipocyte Differentiation in Chickens at Least Partly by Regulating NRF1 Expression

Background: Excessive abdominal fat deposition is a major challenge in the chicken farming industry, making it essential to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying chicken adipogenesis. Nuclear Respiratory Factor 1 (NRF1) has been reported to suppress chicken adipogenesis by downregulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) expression. Protein Phosphatase 1 Catalytic Subunit Gamma (PPP1CC) is a multifunctional phosphatase involved in various biological processes; however, its role in chicken adipogenesis remains unclear. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the functional role and underlying mechanism of PPP1CC in chicken preadipocyte differentiation. Methods: Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and immunofluorescence assays were performed to determine the interaction between PPP1CC and NRF1 in DF1 cells. Bioinformatic analysis predicted potential NRF1 dephosphorylation sites targeted by PPP1CC, based on which NRF1 mutants mimicking dephosphorylation were constructed. Phos-tag SDS-PAGE combined with Western blot analysis were used to verify PPP1CC-mediated dephosphorylation of wild-type NRF1. Dual-luciferase reporter assays were used to evaluate the effect of PPP1CC-mediated dephosphorylation on NRF1-regulated PPARγ P1 promoter transcriptional activity. ChIP-qPCR was employed to assess the occupancy of NRF1 to the PPARγ P1 promoter upon PPP1CC overexpression. The effect of PPP1CC overexpression was assessed on preadipocyte differentiation using Oil Red O staining and marker gene expression analysis. Results: PPP1CC interacted with NRF1 in both the cytoplasm and nucleus of DF1 cells. Overexpression of PPP1CC significantly promoted NRF1 dephosphorylation during oleic acid-induced preadipocyte differentiation and increased endogenous NRF1 expression. Moreover, dual-luciferase assays showed that while PPP1CC strengthened the inhibitory effect of wild-type NRF1 on PPARγ P1 promoter transcriptional activity, it exerted no additional suppression on the already low activity mediated by the dephosphorylation-mimicking NRF1 mutants. Consistently, ChIP-qPCR results demonstrated that PPP1CC overexpression enhanced the occupancy of NRF1 to the PPARγ P1 promoter. Functional assays revealed that PPP1CC overexpression significantly inhibited chicken preadipocyte differentiation. Conclusions: PPP1CC interacts with NRF1 and promotes its dephosphorylation, enhancing NRF1-mediated suppression of PPARγ transcription and ultimately inhibiting chicken preadipocyte differentiation. These results identify the PPP1CC–NRF1–PPARγ regulatory axis and provide a potential molecular target for controlling fat deposition in broiler chickens.