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Highlights • The Nanjiang Brown(NJ) goats had more myofiber cells compared with the Boer goats. • The Boer goats had larger cross-section area compared with the NJ goats. • The SMSCs proliferation potential was higher in NJ goats than in Boer goats. • The SMSCs fusion rate was higher NJ goats than in Boer goats. • The expressions of Pax7, MyoD, MKK3/6, p38MAPK, MEF2C were higher in NJ goat SMSCs. Abstract Here, for the first time, we analyzed skeletal muscle morphology in Boer and Nanjiang Brown (NJ) goats and then evaluated the differences in skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSCs) proliferation and differentiation ability between the two breeds. Our results revealed that NJ goats had significantly more myofiber cells and a significantly smaller cross-section area compared with the Boer goats (P < 0.01). The Pax7 , p38MAPK and MEF2A were more enriched in all three muscles of NJ goats, while the expressions of MyoG, TAK1 , and MKK6 presented the opposite tendency. Additionally, MEF2C, MyoD and MKK3 exhibited somewhat muscle-type specific expression patterns. During proliferation there were significantly more SMSCs in NJ goats compared with Boer goats on days 3, 4, and 5 (P < 0.05). Moreover, the SMSCs fusion rate was higher in NJ goats than in Boer goats during the entire differentiation stage, though only significant on the 6th day (P < 0.05). The Pax7 , MyoD , MKK3/6 , p38MAPK , and MEF2C expression levels in NJ goat SMSCs were significantly higher than those in Boer goat SMSCs (P < 0.05). In conclusion, these findings indicate that SMSCs proliferation and differentiation potential were higher in NJ goats than in Boer goats, which possibly contribute to the meat-produce difference between the two breeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs are a class of small, non-coding RNAs that participate in the regulation of diverse biological processes including skeletal muscle development. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood, particularly in goat. Here, we identified goat miR-101a as a novel myogenic microRNA mediating myogenic differentiation. The expression of miR-101a was enriched in goat skeletal muscles and up-regulated during satellite cell differentiation. After transfection with a miR-101a mimic and culturing in differentiation medium, satellite cell differentiation was promoted, accompanied by a significant increase in mRNA expression of the myogenic marker, MyoG , and decreased expression of MyoD . In contrast, blocking the function of miR-101a with a 2′-O-methylated antisense oligonucleotide inhibitor repressed satellite cell differentiation. However, both gain- and loss-of-function studies demonstrated that miR-101a had no significant influence on satellite cell proliferation. Therefore, our results provide a new insight on miR-101a in the regulation of goat skeletal muscle satellite cell proliferation and differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The actinin-associated LIM protein (ALP) subfamily has important functions in cell signal transduction, cell proliferation, and integration of cytoskeletal architecture. To detect their functions in pig skeletal muscle, we cloned and characterized the pig ALP subfamily genes, drew their genomic structure maps, and detected their tissue expression patterns. We identified a new spliced variant of PDLIM3 in pig skeletal muscle and named it as PDLIM3-4, which was only expressed in the heart and skeletal muscle. Our results showed that PDLIM3-4 was expressed in adult pig skeletal muscle with the highest expression level, and both PDLIM3-4 isoform and PDLIM4 had different expression profiles during the prenatal and postnatal stages of skeletal muscle development among the three pig breeds. These studies provide useful information for further research on the functions of pig ALP subfamily genes in skeletal muscle development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]