Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Profiling Analysis of Wnt Family Genes Affecting Adipocyte Differentiation in Cattle

Wnt is a family of conserved glycoproteins that functions in a variety of crucial biological processes including tissue regeneration, animal development, and cell proliferation and differentiation. For its functional diversity and importance, Wnt gene family has gained considerable research interest in a variety of species. However, comprehensive identification and analysis of Wnt genes in Bovinae is lacking. In this study, we identified the repertoire of Wnt genes in cattle and seven other species of Bovinae and obtained 19 Wnt genes. Protein properties of these Wnt genes were also described. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the 149 Wnt proteins in Bovinae, together with 38 Wnt proteins from human and mouse, were clustered into 12 major clades. The Wnt genes belonging to the same subfamilies shared similar protein motif compositions and exon-intron patterns. Chromosomal distribution and collinearity analysis of Wnt genes among cattle and five species of Bovinae revealed that this gene family was conservative in evolution. RNA-seq data analysis indicated that Wnt genes exhibited tissue-specific expression patterns in cattle. qPCR analysis of Wnt gene family showed that each gene had a unique expression pattern during bovine adipocytes differentiation. And the comprehensive analysis indicated that Wnt2B may regulate adipose differentiation through activation of FZD5, which is worthy of further study. Our study presents the first genome-wide study of Wnt gene family in Bovinae, and lay the foundation for further functional characterization of the Wnt family in bovine adipocytes differentiation.