alleviates heat stress in Hu sheep involves enhancing fatty acid oxidation while reducing lipid deposition.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Heat stress significantly compromises sheep production performance, product quality, and overall health, leading to increased management costs and reduced profitability. Previous studies from our group demonstrated that the m6A methyltransferase geneis involved in both the heat stress response and the regulation of lipid metabolism in Hu sheep, suggesting a potential role in mediating heat stress through hepatic metabolic control. However, the specific mechanisms by whichregulates heat stress and lipid metabolism, as well as the functional linkage between these processes, remain poorly understood. METHODS: We first established heat stress (HS), lipid deposition (LD), and lipid deposition heat stress (LDHS) models in Hu sheep hepatocytes and adipocytes. By interfering with and overexpressing thein these models, techniques such as qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence, RNA-seq, and LC-MS were employed. RESULTS: We found thatcontributes to the heat stress response under heat stress, suppresses the expression of heat shock-related genes, and significantly modulates lipid metabolism pathways. Under combined conditions of lipid accumulation and heat stress,participated in the lipid deposition process and downregulated the expression of associated genes. Furthermore, overexpression ofunder these conditions increased m6A methylation levels, downregulated heat shock genes (,,) and key lipogenic genes (). Notably, elevated expression of MTTP enhanced triglyceride export, ultimately reducing intracellular triglyceride content. CONCLUSION: In summary, this study unveils a novel mechanism through whichmitigates heat stress in Hu sheep-by promoting fatty acid oxidation and attenuating lipid deposition.