Physiological and transcriptomic analysis dissects the molecular mechanism governing meat quality during postmortem aging in Hu sheep (Ovis aries)

Huan Li; Yan-Hui Feng; Chao Xia; Yu Chen; Xin-Yi Lu; Yue Wei; Le-Le Qian; Meng-Yao Zhu; Guo-Yv Gao; Ya-Fei Meng; Yv-Le You; Qi Tian; Kun-Qi Liang; Yun-Tao Li; Chao-Tian Lv; Xiang-Yun Rui; Ming-Yue Wei; Bin Zhang

doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1321938

Physiological and transcriptomic analysis dissects the molecular mechanism governing meat quality during postmortem aging in Hu sheep (Ovis aries)

Front Nutr. 2024 Jan 5:10:1321938. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1321938. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Huan Li^#¹, Yan-Hui Feng^#², Chao Xia¹, Yu Chen¹, Xin-Yi Lu¹, Yue Wei¹, Le-Le Qian¹, Meng-Yao Zhu¹, Guo-Yv Gao¹, Ya-Fei Meng¹, Yv-Le You¹, Qi Tian¹, Kun-Qi Liang¹, Yun-Tao Li¹, Chao-Tian Lv¹, Xiang-Yun Rui¹, Ming-Yue Wei³, Bin Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Food and Bio-engineering, Bengbu University, Bengbu, Anhui, China.
² College of Food Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University, Chuzhou, Anhui, China.
³ School of Ecology, Resources and Environment, Dezhou University, Dezhou, Shandong, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Introduction: Hu sheep, known for its high quality and productivity, lack fundamental scientific research in China.

Methods: This study focused on the effects of 24 h postmortem aging on the meat physiological and transcriptomic alteration in Hu sheep.

Results: The results showed that the 24 h aging process exerts a substantial influence on the mutton color, texture, and water content as compared to untreated group. Transcriptomic analysis identified 1,668 differentially expressed genes. Functional enrichment analysis highlighted the importance of glycolysis metabolism, protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, and the FcγR-mediated phagocytosis pathway in mediating meat quality modification following postmortem aging. Furthermore, protein-protein interaction analysis uncovered complex regulatory networks involving glycolysis, the MAPK signaling pathway, protein metabolism, and the immune response.

Discussion: Collectively, these findings offer valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying meat quality changes during postmortem aging in Hu sheep, emphasizing the potential for improving quality control strategies in mutton production.

Keywords: aging process; lamb meat; post-slaughter storage; regulatory network; transcript profiles.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by the Key Research Foundation of Education Bureau of Anhui Province (2022AH051917), the Key Research and Development Program of Anhui Province (202004a06020010), the Talent Introduction Project of Bengbu University (BBXY2020KYQD01), and Industry-University-Institute Cooperation (2023340306000004 and 2022340306000167).