Comprehensive analysis of the translatome reveals the relationship between the translational and transcriptional control in high fat diet-induced liver steatosis

RNA Biol. 2021 Jun;18(6):863-874. doi: 10.1080/15476286.2020.1827193. Epub 2020 Oct 6.

Abstract

Translational regulation plays a critical role in gene expression. However, there are few genome-wide studies on translational regulation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is a severe non-communicable epidemic worldwide. In this study, we performed RNC-mRNA (mRNAs bound to ribosome-nascent chain complex) sequencing and mRNA sequencing to probe the translation status of high-fat-diet (HFD) induced mouse fatty liver. Generally, in the HFD group compared to the control group, changes of translation ratios and changes in mRNA abundance had a negative correlation. The relative abundance of RNC-mRNAs and mRNAs were positively correlated, yet the former changed more slowly than the latter. However, the rate of change became more balanced when it came to the livers of mice that were fed the HFD plus lycopene, an antioxidant. This indicated relatively independent roles of translational modulation and transcriptional regulation. Furthermore, many genes were differentially regulated at the transcriptional or translational levels, suggesting a new screening strategy for functional genes. In conclusion, our analysis revealed the different and correlated role of translational control with transcriptional regulation in the HFD-induced mouse fatty liver relative to the control, which indicates critical roles of translational control for liver steatosis; thus, adding a new dimension towards a better understanding and improvement of treatment for NAFLD.

Keywords: NAFLD; RNC-seq; Translatomics; antioxidant; oxidative stress; translating mRNA.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Diet, High-Fat / adverse effects
  • Gene Expression Profiling / methods*
  • Gene Expression Regulation*
  • Hep G2 Cells
  • Humans
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Liver / pathology
  • Methylation
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / etiology
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / genetics*
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / metabolism
  • Protein Biosynthesis / genetics*
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • RNA-Seq / methods
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • Transcription, Genetic / genetics*
  • Triglycerides / metabolism

Substances

  • RNA, Messenger
  • Triglycerides

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFD0500402), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31660641), Guangxi Science and Technology Base and Talents Project (GuiKeAD18281085), Guangxi Natural Science Foundation (2019GXNSFDA245029, 2017GXNSFAA198139), Guangxi Hundred-Talent Program, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources (SKLCUSA-a202006), and Training Project of High-level Professional and Technical Talents of Guangxi University.