Bioinformatics Analyses of Bovine Adipose Tissue Transcriptome from Lilu Beef Cattle at Different Stages of Growth

The accumulation of adipose tissue is largely influenced by the genetic background of cattle. Therefore, we analyzed the transcriptome changes within adipose tissue in beef cattle at different stages of growth. Microarray analysis of data at 12 vs 18 months, 12 vs 24 months, 12 vs 30 months, 18 vs 24 months, 18 vs 30 months and 24 vs 30 months uncovered a total of 10625 differentially expressed genes (P <= 0.05; no fold change). The dynamic impact approach (DIA) bioinformatics tool was used to uncover the most-affected biological pathways among the DEG. Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) software also was used to analyze upstream transcription regulators and gene networks. Bioinformatics analysis results indicated that 18 months being a key age for alterations in metabolism. The results of IPA analysis revealed that several transcription regulators related to disease, cell growth, proliferation and lipid metabolism, including PPAR, are important during development of the adipose tissue. These data indicate that future research should emphasize the study of key genes related to synthesis, metabolism, and growth of adipose tissue during development. This will allow to determine the functional relevance of the genes and pathways uncovered.