The role of the CEBPB gene in porcine adipogenesis: a study using CRISPR/Cas9-edited mesenchymal stem cells

Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 is a powerful tool for gene editing and the regulation of gene expression. It enables the introduction of targeted mutations, thereby facilitating functional studies of specific genes in various cellular processes. In this study, we aimed to generate a deletion in the promoter region of the CEBPB gene, which encodes a transcription factor involved in adipogenesis, and to evaluate the impact of this modification on the adipogenic differentiation potential of porcine mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). A 575-bp deletion was introduced in the target region, resulting in the generation of both homozygous and heterozygous mutant cells. Adipogenic differentiation was assessed by quantifying transcript levels of adipocyte marker genes (GATA2, CEBPA, PPARG, and FABP4) at days 0, 4, 6, 8, and 10 of the differentiation process. Disruption of CEBPB expression led to the downregulation of these adipogenic markers, indicating impaired adipocyte differentiation. Additionally, to assess the proliferative capacity of the edited cells, the expression levels of proliferation-associated genes (CCND1, MCM2, and PCNA) were measured. A reduction in their transcript levels was observed in both homozygous and heterozygous mutant cells. These findings indicate that both homozygous and heterozygous deletions in the CEBPB promoter completely block adipogenesis and alter MSC proliferation, highlighting the pivotal role of CEBPB not only in adipogenic differentiation but also in the regulation of cell proliferation in porcine mesenchymal stem cells. These results provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying adipose tissue development and have implications for pig breeding strategies aimed at optimizing carcass composition, as well as for biomedical research focused on adipose tissue biology.