Effects of corn supplementation on serum and muscle microRNA profiles in horses.
Abstract: Laminitis associated with equine metabolic syndrome causes significant economic losses in the equine industry. Diets high in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) have been linked to insulin resistance and laminitis in horses. Nutrigenomic studies analyzing the interaction of diets high in NSCs and gene expression regulating endogenous microRNAs (miRNA) are rare. This study's objectives were to determine whether miRNAs from dietary corn can be detected in equine serum and muscle and its impacts on endogenous miRNA. Twelve mares were blocked by age, body condition score, and weight and assigned to a control (mixed legume grass hay diet) and a mixed legume hay diet supplemented with corn. Muscle biopsies and serum were collected on Days 0 and 28. Transcript abundances were analyzed using qRT-PCR for three plant-specific and 277 endogenous equine miRNAs. Plant miRNAs were found in serum and skeletal muscle samples with a treatment effect ( < .05) with corn-specific miRNA being higher than control in serum after feeding. Endogenous miRNAs showed 12 different ( < .05) miRNAs in equine serum after corn supplementation, six (eca-mir16, -4863p, -4865p, -126-3p, -296, and -192) previously linked to obesity or metabolic disease. The results of our study indicate that dietary plant miRNAs can appear in circulation and tissues and may regulate endogenous genes.
© 2023 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Publication Date: 2023-02-14 PubMed ID: 37324886PubMed Central: PMC10261821DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.3259Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The study conducted a thorough analysis to establish if microRNAs from dietary corn are present in horse serum and muscle and the extent of their effects on the endogenous microRNA. Results indicate that dietary plant microRNAs are indeed found in circulation and tissues and they may significantly regulate endogenous genes.
Overview of Methodology
- The study involved twelve mares which were classified based on their age, body condition score, and weight. They were then assigned to two separate diets: a control group diet that consisted of mixed legume grass hay and a mixed legume hay diet supplemented with corn.
- Researchers collected muscle biopsies and serum from the horses on the first and last day of the four-week study.
- They used these samples to evaluate the abundances of particular transcripts, applying quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) to analyze three plant-specific and 277 endogenous equine miRNAs.
- During the analysis, they gave special consideration to any of the miRNAs that were specific to corn and those that had linked to obesity or metabolic disease in previous studies.
Key findings
- The study found corn-specific miRNAs in the serum and skeletal muscle sample.
- The corn-specific miRNA concentration was found to be higher than the control in the serum after feeding.
- 12 different endogenous miRNAs showed significant variation in the equine serum following corn supplementation. Out of them, six could be traced back to past associations with obesity or metabolic disease.
Implication and Significance
- The discovery of dietary plant microRNAs circulating in equine serum and muscle has opened boundaries for further understanding of the ways in which dietary intake can influence genetic expression.
- The connections with obesity and metabolic diseases could provide a deeper understanding of equine metabolic syndrome and high-NSC diets.
- This comprehension could lead to improved diet formulation and preventive measures, thereby mitigating the economic losses experienced in the equine industry due to conditions such as laminitis.
Cite This Article
APA
Carver C, Bruemmer J, Coleman S, Landolt G, Hess T.
(2023).
Effects of corn supplementation on serum and muscle microRNA profiles in horses.
Food Sci Nutr, 11(6), 2811-2822.
https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.3259 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Animal Sciences Department Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA.
- USDA APHIS WS NWRC Fort Collins Colorado USA.
- Animal Sciences Department Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA.
- Clinical Sciences Department Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA.
- Animal Sciences Department Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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This article has been cited 1 times.- Beermann A, Hamza E, Reinhard S, Koch C, Oberhänsli T, Unger L. Selected microRNAs as biomarkers in sarcoid-affected horses under immunotherapy with a mistletoe extract. J Vet Diagn Invest 2026 Jan;38(1):33-40.
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