Long-chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase (ACSLs) is an essential enzyme for the synthesis of fatty acyl-CoA. ACSL1 plays a key role in the synthesis of triglycerides, phospholipids, and cholesterol esters.
Background: In the current study, triglyceride content did not increase after overexpression of the ACSL1 gene.
Methods: RNA-seq and lipid metabolome profiling were performed to determine why triglyceride levels did not change with ACSL1 overexpression.
Results: Fatty acyl-CoA produced by ACSL1 was determined to be involved in the diglyceride synthesis pathway, and diglyceride content significantly increased when ACSL1 was overexpressed. Moreover, the arachidonic acid (AA) content in sheep adipocytes significantly increased, and the level of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) expression, the downstream metabolic gene, was significantly downregulated. Knocking down the ACSL1 gene was associated with an increase in COX2 mRNA expression, as well as an increase in prostaglandin content, which is the downstream metabolite of AA.
Conclusions: The overexpression of the ACSL1 gene promotes the production of AA via downregulation of COX2 gene expression.
Keywords: ACSL1; COX2; RNA-seq; arachidonic acid; lipid metabolome.