Identifying co-expressed lncRNA correlated with traits of interest in an animal model for metabolic diseases in humans

• Grant number: 23/14662-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: February 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Genetics and Improvement of Domestic Animals
• Principal Investigator: Aline Silva Mello Cesar
• Grantee: Lucas Echevarria Nascimento
• Supervisor: Beatriz Gutierrez Gil
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidad de León, Vegazana (ULE), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/06442-7 - Co-expression of lncRNA correlates with traits of interest in an animal model for metabolic diseases in humans, BP.MS

Abstract

Nutrition plays an important role in the individual's health, as it directly influences the expression of specific genes responsible for important metabolic pathways (RAMOS-LOPEZ et al., 2017). According to Bouchard and Ordovas (2012), nutrigenomics has evolved to include the study of the effects of nutrients on gene expression and related molecular and biological events, incorporating important results from transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. The importance of using pigs in nutrigenomics studies is their relevance in providing protein with high nutritional value and in the world economy through the production and consumption of their meat. Pork meat plays an important role in the human diet, consisting of protein sources with high biological value and essential fatty acids such as linoleic and linolenic acid (AG), providing nutrients that can provide people with safe, healthy and balanced diets (PARK et al., 2012; DUGAN et al., 2015; MOGHADASIAN and SHAHIDI, 2017). In the liver, in a previous study carried out by the members of the group, the largest number of differentially expressed genes (GDE), 281 and signaling pathways related to neurodegenerative diseases were identified (FANALLI et al., 2022b). Among the recently identified regulatory RNAs are the lncRNA (long noncoding RNA) which are a heterogeneous class of ncRNA (noncoding RNA) that have more than 200 nucleotides, which are involved in several biological processes, including development, cell differentiation, immune responses, cell cycle and subcutaneous fat deposition, regulating gene expression. (HARROW et al., 2012; FATICA and BOZZONI, 2014; LIU et al., 2018). Thus, the objective of this project is to carry out an lncRNA gene co-expression analysis and to correlate the co-expressed lncRNA groups with characteristics of economic and health interest following the methodology proposed by Zhang and Horvath (2005) and Langfelder and Horvath (2008), WGCNA (Weighted Correlation Network Analysis). In addition, while at University of León, the student will participate in graduate courses, journal clubs and lab meetings. (AU)