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CircVPS13C Promotes Intramuscular Adipogenesis via MiR-5606-X-ECHDC3 Axis in Yaks (Bos grunniens)

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Although large-scale studies and potential pathways of genes on intramuscular fat (IMF) in livestock have been reported, research on circRNAs in yaks—a unique, low-IMF-content animal species that is native to the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau—is still lacking. Based on previous high-throughput sequencing results on longissimus dorsi with different IMF content, a novel circRNA encoded by the VPS13C gene (designated as circVPS13C) was found to exhibit significant differential expression. Here, we systematically characterized the function and mechanism of circVPS13C on IMF deposition in yaks by adopting a series of experiments. Sequencing, RNase R processing, and nucleoplasmic separation experiments confirmed the circular structure feature of circVPS13C, and it was predominantly distributed in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, these experiments demonstrated that circVPS13C was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm. The circVPS13C/miR-5606-x/ECHDC3 axis was constructed through ceRNA network analysis and validated by dual-luciferase reporter and rescue experiments. Furthermore, the function of these three potential regulators during IMF deposition was investigated through CCK-8, BODIPY, Oil Red O staining, and qRT-PCR analyses, and results showed that both circVPS13C and miR-5606-x promoted the differentiation and inhibited the proliferation of yak intramuscular preadipocytes, while the function of ECHDC3 was the opposite. In conclusion, circVPS13C could act as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) sponge to sequester miR-5606-x, thereby relieving the inhibitory effect of miR-5606-x on ECHDC3.
Source: Biomolecules
DOI: 10.3390/biom16020202
Authors: Yanjie Yin, Jieqiong Ma, Binglin Yue, Jincheng Zhong, Haitao Shi, Hui Wang
Language: English
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,258
OpenAlex ID: W7125972558
FWCI:
Cites: 40
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