The relationship between adipocyte size and the transcript levels of SNAP23, BSCL2 and COPA genes in pigs

- Analysis of porcine adipocyte size has shown breed- and tissue-specific differences.
- Expression profiles of SNAP23, BSCL2, COPA genes in porcine tissues were determined.
- The abundance of SNAP23 transcript showed positive correlation with adipocyte diameter.
- Three novel SNPs in the 5′ flanking region of the SNAP23 were found.

Breed-specific differences in fat tissue accumulation in the pig provide an opportunity to study the genetic background of this process. In the present study three pig breeds, differing in fatness, were analyzed in terms of the size of adipocytes derived from three tissues (subcutaneous, visceral and longissimus dorsi muscle) in relation to transcript levels of genes (SNAP23, BSCL2 and COPA), which encode proteins involved in lipid droplet formation. The analysis of adipocyte size revealed significant effects of breed and tissue and confirmed earlier reports that an elevated backfat thickness in some pig breeds is correlated with a larger adipocyte size. Variability in the transcript abundance of the studied genes among breeds and tissues was observed. We found a positive correlation between the abundance of the SNAP23 transcript and adipocyte diameter. The obtained results indicate that SNAP23 may be considered as an interesting candidate gene involved in adipose tissue growth in the pig.