AUTHOR=Song Ning , Ma Cunxia , Guo Yuzhu , Cui Shuangshuang , Chen Shihao , Chen Zhi , Ling Yinghui , Zhang Yunhai , Liu Hongyu 

TITLE=Identifying differentially expressed genes in goat mammary epithelial cells induced by overexpression of SOCS3 gene using RNA sequencing

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1392152

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2024.1392152

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p>The suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) is a key signaling molecule that regulates milk synthesis in dairy livestock. However, the molecular mechanism by which <italic>SOCS3</italic> regulates lipid synthesis in goat milk remains unclear. This study aimed to screen for key downstream genes associated with lipid synthesis regulated by <italic>SOCS3</italic> in goat mammary epithelial cells (GMECs) using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Goat <italic>SOCS3</italic> overexpression vector (PC-SOCS3) and negative control (PCDNA3.1) were transfected into GMECs. Total RNA from cells after <italic>SOCS3</italic> overexpression was used for RNA-seq, followed by differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis, functional enrichment analysis, and network prediction. <italic>SOCS3</italic> overexpression significantly inhibited the synthesis of triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, non-esterified fatty acids, and accumulated lipid droplets. In total, 430 DEGs were identified, including 226 downregulated and 204 upregulated genes, following <italic>SOCS3</italic> overexpression. Functional annotation revealed that the DEGs were mainly associated with lipid metabolism, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. We found that the lipid synthesis-related genes, <italic>STAT2 and FOXO6</italic>, were downregulated. In addition, the proliferation-related genes <italic>BCL2</italic>, <italic>MMP11</italic>, and <italic>MMP13</italic> were upregulated, and the apoptosis-related gene <italic>CD40</italic> was downregulated. In conclusion, six DEGs were identified as key regulators of milk lipid synthesis following <italic>SOCS3</italic> overexpression in GMECs. Our results provide new candidate genes and insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in milk lipid synthesis regulated by <italic>SOCS3</italic> in goats.</p>