Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (3): 1134-1146.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2025.03.015

• Animal Genetics and Breeding • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Identification of Key Genes Affecting Drip Loss in Laiwu Pigs Based on Transcriptome Sequencing Technology

JIA Wanli1,2(), WANG Jiying2, LI Jingxuan2, WANG Yanping2, GENG Liying1, ZHANG Chuansheng1,*(), ZHAO Xueyan2,*()   

  1. 1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Hebei Normal University of Science & Technology, Qinhuangdao 066600, China
    2. Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-omics of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Shandong Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Control and Breeding, Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan 250100, China
  • Received:2024-10-08 Online:2025-03-23 Published:2025-04-02
  • Contact: ZHANG Chuansheng, ZHAO Xueyan E-mail:3311896682@qq.com;cszhang1976@126.com;zhaoxueyan0102@163.com

Abstract:

This study aimed to identify key genes affecting drip loss in Laiwu pigs to improve pork quality and reduce economic loss caused by drip. Twenty-eight Laiwu pigs, including 19 boars and 9 sows with carcass weight of (72.30±1.26) kg, were selected as experimental animals. The meat quality traits, including 48 h drip loss, meat color, intramuscular fat content, and pH, were measured. RNA sequencing was conducted on the longissimus dorsi muscle tissue of these pigs. Then, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected based on the criteria of log2(fold change) ≥1 and an adjusted P≤0.01 between groups with high and low drip loss. Each group included three boars and one sow. By combining correlation analysis between DEGs and drip loss, as well as protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, the candidate genes influencing drip loss in Laiwu pigs were further identified. The results indicated that drip loss was significantly negatively correlated with the intramuscular fat content and the a* value of meat color at both 1 h and 24 h post-mortem (P < 0.05) in Laiwu pigs. A total of 166 DEGs were identified between the high and low drip loss groups. These DEGs were significantly enriched in Gene Ontology (GO) terms and pathways related to cardiovascular system development and function, cytoskeleton and motility, and protein regulation and function. Correlation analysis using the 28 individuals revealed that 110 of the 166 DEGs were significantly correlated with drip loss (P < 0.05). Among the top ten of the most significantly correlated DEGs, two genes, KLF2 and IGF2, were identified, whose functions were reported to be related to drip loss. Furthermore, PPI analysis of DEGs identified two proteins, which were encoded by UBR1 and TTBK2, having the highest number of interactions with other proteins, and the mRNA expression levels of the two genes were significantly correlated with drip loss (P < 0.05). These gene functions were also reported closely related to drip loss in previous studies. Therefore, by combining the results of DEG analysis, correlation analysis, and PPI analysis, KLF2, IGF2, UBR1 and TTBK2 were identified as candidate genes affecting drip loss. This study lays the ground for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the drip loss in pigs and offers valuable insights for the improvement of meat quality traits in pigs.

Key words: Laiwu pig, drip loss, RNA sequencing, meat quality traits, candidate genes

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