Regulatory expression of components in the BMP pathway in white adipose tissues of cattle

The BMP pathway positively regulates murine brown adipogenesis. We herein examined the mRNA levels of BMPs and activin βB as well as receptors for the BMP pathway in the adipose tissues of cattle fed diets with a differential ratio of concentrate to roughage or a vitamin A-deficient diet. The expression of activin βB was significantly increased in the subcutaneous fat depot of animals fed the concentrate diet, while the vitamin A-deficient diet significantly increased the expression of BMP4 in the mesenteric fat depot. The expression of receptors for the BMP pathway, ALK2, ALK3, ActRIIA, and BMPR2, showed a similar pattern to that of BMP4 and activin βB in response to the dietary treatments. The results of the present study demonstrated that diet modulated the expression of components of the BMP pathway and may be responsible for the regulatory expression of brown/beige adipocyte-related genes in the adipose tissues of cattle.