A grass-based diet favours muscle n-3 long-chain PUFA deposition without modifying gene expression of proteins involved in their synthesis or uptake in Charolais steers

• Published in: Animal (Cambridge, England) Vol. 7; no. 11; pp. 1833 - 1840
• Main Authors: Cherfaoui, M., Durand, D., Bonnet, M., Bernard, L., Bauchart, D., Ortigues-Marty, I., Gruffat, D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.11.2013; Elsevier Limited; Published by Elsevier (since 2021) / Cambridge University Press (until 2020); Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Biosynthesis; Cattle - genetics; Cattle - metabolism; Charolais; Chromatography; Chromatography, Gas - veterinary; Computer Science; Corn; Corn silage; Diet; Diet - veterinary; fatty acid composition; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - genetics; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - metabolism; gas chromatography; gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation; Grasses; human health; Humanities and Social Sciences; Life Sciences; Liquid chromatography; Male; meat quality; messenger RNA; Molecular Sequence Data; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Muscles; n-3 LCPUFA, synthesis, uptake, steer muscles, grass; omega-3 fatty acids; Physiology and functional biology of systems; Poaceae - chemistry; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Proteins; quantitative polymerase chain reaction; Random Allocation; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary; RNA, Messenger - analysis; Sequence Analysis, DNA - veterinary; Silage - analysis; steers; tissues; Zea mays; Zea mays - chemistry; n-3 LCPUFA, synthesis, uptake, steer muscles, grass; synthesis; MEAT QUALITY; uptake; LIPOPROTEIN-LIPASE ACTIVITY; FATTY-ACID-COMPOSITION; steer muscles; TRANSPORT; METABOLISM; MESSENGER-RNA; grass; DOCOSAHEXAENOIC ACID; ENZYMES; HEALTH; n-3 LCPUFA; ADIPOSE-TISSUE
• ISSN: 1751-7311; 1751-732X; 1751-732X
• DOI: 10.1017/S1751731113001432

N-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) are subject of growing interest as they are of particular relevance for meat quality and human health. However, their content in the muscles of cattle is generally low probably as the complex result of their biosynthesis from dietary n-3 PUFA in the muscle and/or in other tissues/organs and of their subsequent uptake by the muscle. In view of this, this study aimed at understanding whether the changes in the muscle n-3 LCPUFA content, depending on the diet (maize silage v. grass) or the muscle type (Rectus abdominis, RA v.Semitendinosus, ST) in 12 Charolais steers, were related to variations in the gene expression of proteins involved in n-3 LCPUFA biosynthesis or cellular uptake. Tissue fatty acid composition was analysed by gas-liquid chromatography and mRNA abundance of proteins by quantitative real-time PCR. The grass-based diet resulted in a 2.3-fold (P < 0.0002) increase in both RA and ST n-3 LCPUFA content compared with the maize silage-based diet, whereas no difference in the expression of genes involved in n-3 LCPUFA biosynthesis and uptake was observed between diets. ST exhibited a 1.5-fold higher n-3 LCPUFA content than RA (P < 0.003), whereas the gene expression of proteins involved in n-3 LCPUFA biosynthesis and uptake was 1.3- to 18-fold higher in RA than in ST (P < 0.05). In conclusion, diet- or muscle type-dependent changes in the muscle n-3 LCPUFA content of Charolais steers did not seem to be mediated by the gene expression regulation of proteins involved in the biosynthesis or uptake of these fatty acids.