Glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase 1 regulates adipocyte differentiation by altering nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate content.

This study was performed to examine whether the porcine glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase 1 (GOT1) gene has important functions in regulating adipocyte differentiation. Porcine GOT1 knockout and overexpression vectors were constructed and transfected into the mouse adipogenic 3T3-L1 cells. Lipid droplets levels were measured after 8 days of differentiation. The mechanisms through which GOT1 participated in lipid deposition were examined by measuring the expression of malate dehydrogenase 1 (MDH1) and malic enzyme (ME1) and the cellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) content. GOT1 knockout significantly decreased lipid deposition in the 3T3-L1 cells (p<0.01), whereas GOT1 overexpression significantly increased lipid accumulation (p<0.01). At the same time, GOT1 knockout significantly decreased the NADPH content and the expression of MDH1 and ME1 in the 3T3-L1 cells. Overexpression of GOT1 significantly increased the NADPH content and the expression of MDH1 and ME1, suggesting that GOT1 regulated adipocyte differentiation by altering the NADPH content. The results preliminarily revealed the effector mechanisms of GOT1 in regulating adipose differentiation. Thus, a theoretical basis is provided for improving the quality of pork and studies on diseases associated with lipid metabolism.