RNA interference-mediated knockdown of DGAT1 decreases triglyceride content of bovine mammary epithelial cell line.

Diacylglyceroltransferase-1 (DGAT1) expresses in nearly all tissues, including the mammary gland. Mice lacking DGAT1 exhibit decreased triglyceride content in mammary tissue, and are resistant to diet-induced obesity and diabetes mellitus. Thus, DGAT1 has received considerable attention. In the present study, the function of DGAT1 was examined by liposome mediated RNA interference (RNAi) to knockdown the expression of endogenous DGAT1 expression in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMEC) and the changes of the biological functions of cells were analyzed. The mRNA and protein levels, intracellular triglyceride (TG) content, and total protein of BMECs were analyzed by real-time PCR, Western blot, TG kit, and ultraviolet spectrophotometer, respectively, before and after RNAi treatment. The results indicated that knockdown of DGAT1 expression significantly reduced TG content in BMECs. This study further confirmed the importance of DGAT1 in triglyceride synthesis in bovine mammary tissue.