Single-Nucleus RNA Sequencing Reveals Cellular Transcriptome Features at Different Growth Stages in Porcine Skeletal Muscle

作者：Ziyu Chen, Xiaoqian Wu, Dongbin Zheng, Yu‐Ling Wang, R Chai, Tinghuan Zhang, Pingxian Wu, Minghong Wei, T. F. Zhou, Keren Long, Mingzhou Li, Long Jin, Li Chen · 发表于：Cells · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3390/cells14010037 · 被引用次数：10 · 研究领域：Muscle Physiology and Disorders、RNA modifications and cancer、RNA Research and Splicing

Porcine latissimus dorsi muscle (LDM) is a crucial source of pork products. Meat quality indicators, such as the proportion of muscle fibers and intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition, vary during the growth and development of pigs. Numerous studies have highlighted the heterogeneous nature of skeletal muscle, with phenotypic differences reflecting variations in cellular composition and transcriptional profiles. This study investigates the cellular-level transcriptional characteristics of LDM in large white pigs at two growth stages (170 days vs. 245 days) using single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq). We identified 56,072 cells across 12 clusters, including myofibers, fibro/adipogenic progenitor (FAP) cells, muscle satellite cells (MUSCs), and other resident cell types. The same cell types were present in the LDM at both growth stages, but their proportions and states differed. A higher proportion of FAPs was observed in the skeletal muscle of 245-day-old pigs. Additionally, these cells exhibited more active communication with other cell types compared to 170-day-old pigs. For instance, more interactions were found between FAPs and pericytes or endothelial cells in 245-day-old pigs, including collagen and integrin family signaling. Three subclasses of FAPs was identified, comprising FAPs_COL3A1+, FAPs_PDE4D+, and FAPs_EBF1+, while adipocytes were categorized into Ad_PDE4D+ and Ad_DGAT2+ subclasses. The proportions of these subclasses differed between the two age groups. We als...