Nuclear Receptor Pathways Mediating the Development of Boar Taint

The nuclear receptors PXR, CAR, and FXR are activated by various ligands and function as transcription factors to control the expression of genes that regulate the synthesis and metabolism of androstenone and skatole. These compounds are produced in entire male pigs and accumulate in the fat to caus...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Metabolites 2022-08, Vol.12 (9), p.785
Main Authors: Bone, Christine, Squires, E. James
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acids
Animals
Bile
Bile acids
boar taint
Chemical properties
Cytochrome
cytochrome P450
Enzymes
Fatty acids
Food research
Gene expression
Intestinal microflora
Ligands
Liver
Meat
Metabolism
Metabolites
Microbiomes
Natural products
nuclear receptor
Nuclear receptors
Odors
Physiological aspects
Physiology
Pork
Protein expression
Proteins
PXR
Quality
Receptor mechanisms
Review
Signal transduction
signaling pathways
Steroids
Transcription factors
Tryptophan
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The nuclear receptors PXR, CAR, and FXR are activated by various ligands and function as transcription factors to control the expression of genes that regulate the synthesis and metabolism of androstenone and skatole. These compounds are produced in entire male pigs and accumulate in the fat to cause the development of a meat quality issue known as boar taint. The extent of this accumulation is influenced by the synthesis and hepatic clearance of androstenone and skatole. For this reason, PXR, CAR, and FXR-mediated signaling pathways have garnered interest as potential targets for specialized treatments designed to reduce the development of boar taint. Recent research has also identified several metabolites produced by gut microbes that act as ligands for these nuclear receptors (e.g., tryptophan metabolites, short-chain fatty acids, bile acids); however, the connection between the gut microbiome and boar taint development is not clear. In this review, we describe the nuclear receptor signaling pathways that regulate the synthesis and metabolism of boar taint compounds and outline the genes involved. We also discuss several microbial-derived metabolites and dietary additives that are known or suspected nuclear receptor ligands and suggest how these compounds could be used to develop novel treatments for boar taint.
ISSN:2218-1989
2218-1989
DOI:10.3390/metabo12090785