Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2022, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (8): 2524-2536.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2022.08.011

• ANIMAL GENETICS AND BREEDING • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Analysis of Transcriptional Regulation in Min Pig Skeletal Muscle under Low Temperature Stress

ZHANG Dongjie, WANG Liang, MA Hong, LI Zhongqiu, WANG Wentao, LIU Di*   

  1. Institute of Animal Husbandry, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
  • Received:2021-11-26 Online:2022-08-23 Published:2022-08-23

Abstract: The study aimed to explore the genetic mechanism of Min pigs excellent germplasm characteristics, and analyze their low temperature adaptation mechanism.In this experiment, 6 female Min pigs at the age of 6 months with similar body weight were randomly divided into 2 groups with 3 individuals in each group. Individuals in the control group were raised in a pig house whose temperature was controlled at (18±2)℃, and individuals in the experimental group were raised in a semi-open house outside. The ambient temperature dropped from 5℃/-5℃ on the first day to -15℃/-24℃ on the last day. The experiment lasted 58 days. Both groups of individuals were guaranteed free access to food and water. At the end of the experiment, all individuals were slaughtered, and the longissimus dorsi was taken for RNA-seq. The genes and lncRNAs induced by low temperature in Min pig skeletal muscle were screened, and their functions were annotated and their regulatory relationships were analyzed. The RNA sequencing analysis showed that 86 genes in skeletal muscle were significantly up-regulated and 16 genes were significantly down-regulated after 58 days of low temperature stress, 112 lncRNAs were significantly up-regulated and 74 lncRNAs were significantly down-regulated. Among the genes that were significantly up-regulated, 4 nervous system-related genes NTSR2, ARC, FOSL1 and RCAN1 were significantly up-regulated, and 7 solute transport related genes SLC2A4, SLC2A5, SLC4A10, SLC19A2, SLC20A1, SLC28A1 and SLC38A2, 6 genes AREG, CISH, OTUD1, TRIB1, GPA33 and ITPKC related to inflammation and immunity were significantly up-regulated. The circadian rhythm-related ARNTL gene and the RASL11A gene inhibiting cell proliferation, were significantly down-regulated. Under low temperature stress, differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in apoptosis pathway, colorectal cancer pathway and transcriptional misregu-lation in cancer pathway, indicating that cell proliferation and apoptosis were affected. Significantly changed lncRNAs mainly regulated target genes in trans, and have complex interactions with target genes. The target genes regulated by lncRNAs were enriched in Herpes simplex virus 1 infection pathway, MAPK signaling pathway and Fanconi anemia pathway. In addition, no other pathways were affected. Low temperature stress affects the nervous and immune systems of Min pigs, changes the transport of substances in the cells, and affects the growth and differentiation of cells. However, because the fold of gene changes is small (mainly 1-2 times) and fewer pathways (only 3) are affected, it is speculated that low temperature stress does not cause serious damage to the skeletal muscle of Min pig.

Key words: Min pig, skeletal muscle, low temperature stress, RNA-seq, lncRNA

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