# A transcriptome dataset from porcine stem cells with differing adipogenic capacity

**Authors:** Thomas Thrower, Susanna E. Riley, Katharina Grabowski, Cristina L. Esteves, F. Xavier Donadeu

PMC · DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2026.112637 · Data in Brief · 2026-02-26

## TL;DR

This paper presents RNA sequencing data from pig stem cells with different fat-forming abilities to help improve cultivated meat production.

## Contribution

The study provides a transcriptome dataset from porcine stem cells with differing adipogenic capacity, revealing differentially expressed genes.

## Key findings

- PCA plots showed partial overlap in gene expression between high and low adipogenic cell populations.
- 30 genes were upregulated and 67 downregulated in high adipogenic cells, including known adipogenic genes like PPARG and FABP4.
- The dataset is publicly available and could enhance understanding of pre-adipocyte biology in livestock.

## Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells that can be readily harvested from animal body tissues and grown in culture. MSC cultures contain fat stem cells (pre-adipocytes) in addition to other mesenchymal progenitor cell types. Farm animal MSCs provide a cell source of choice for cultivated fat production, an important sector within the wider cultivated meat industry. However, MSCs are highly heterogenous by nature, containing only a fraction of bona-fide progenitor cells capable of differentiating selectively into adipocytes thus limiting the potential for industrial cultivated fat applications. Elucidating the molecular signatures of pre-adipocytes from farm animal species would facilitate selective enrichment of MSCs to enable efficient scale-up culture of fat. Here we describe bulk RNA sequencing datasets from clonal cell populations obtained by single-cell fluorescence activated sorting of porcine MSCs, and classified as having either high (H) or low (L) fat-forming (adipogenic) capacity in culture, as determined by chemically-induced differentiation followed by staining with the lipid dye, Oil Red O. We present raw file and results of bioinformatics analyses of sequencing data. PCA plots showed partial overlapping of gene expression profiles from H and L cell populations. Differential gene expression analyses revealed 30 upregulated transcripts and 67 downregulated transcripts in H relative to L clones, with upregulated transcripts including several known adipogenic genes such as PPARG and FABP4. These datasets are publicly available for use in workflows, and could provide novel information on pre-adipocyte biology in livestock in turn helping improve the sustainability of both traditional and cultivated meat production.

## Linked entities

- **Genes:** PPARG (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma) [NCBI Gene 5468], FABP4 (fatty acid binding protein 4) [NCBI Gene 2167]

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** FABP4 (fatty acid binding protein 4) [NCBI Gene 2167] {aka A-FABP, AFABP, ALBP, HEL-S-104, aP2}, PPARG (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma) [NCBI Gene 5468] {aka CIMT1, FPLD3, GLM1, NR1C3, PPARG1, PPARG2}
- **Chemicals:** Oil Red O. (MESH:C011049), lipid (MESH:D008055)

## Full text

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## Figures

2 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12971986/full.md

## References

17 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12971986/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12971986