Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is a key determinant of beef quality, making it a key topic of research interest. ATP5B serves as the catalytic component of the mitochondrial ATP synthase complex and plays essential roles in controlling fat contents and oxidative metabolism in bovine skeletal muscle. In this study, we determined that bovine ATP5B was highly expressed in longissimus thoracis. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in bovine ATP5B regulation, we cloned and characterized the promoter region of ATP5B. Applying 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA end analysis (RACE), we identified two transcriptional start sites (TSSs) in its promoter region. Using a series of 5'-deletion promoter plasmids in luciferase reporter assay, we found that the proximal minimal promoter of ATP5B was located within the region -539/220 relative to the TSS. Site-directed mutation in combination with chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays demonstrated that MyoD and GATA1 binding to the promoter region drives bovine ATP5B transcription. Taken together, these results provide new insight into the regulatory mechanisms of ATP5B transcription in mediating the IMF content of beef.
Keywords: ATP5B gene; GATA1; MyoD; intramuscular fat; promoter.