The Pituitary Transcriptional Response Related to Feed Conversion in Pigs

Abstract

Over the decades, pig breeding objectives have focused on improving the meat content in the carcass without taking into consideration the more effective fattening indicators that affect feed conversion. At present, pig growth traits associated particularly with animal feeding have become crucial due to their economic significance. This is especially evident in countries where pigs are maintained on large farms. The present study indicates that pituitary differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are activated in response to variable feed conversion (FC) in pigs. The experiment included two native Polish breeds: Puławska and Złotnicka White (ZW). The whole pituitary transcriptome was sequenced using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. The RNA-seq method identified over 500 and 300 DEGs in the pituitaries of the ZW and the Puławska pig populations, respectively, that were associated with hormonal regulation, notch signaling, and Wnt pathways. Lower FC in the ZW pigs favoured increased fat content in the body and significantly higher prolactin expression. The obtained results indicate that low FC values in pigs are related to slower growth or increased fat content, which suggests various pituitary responses. Therefore, the identified candidate genes were not directly associated with feed conversion values but with other factors. However, the present study delivers new insights into pituitary regulation in pigs.

Evaluation of SCD, ACACA and FASN Mutations: Effects on Pork Quality and Other Production Traits in Pigs Selected Based on RNA-Seq Results

“…The RIN parameter values for all the RNA samples were over 7.5. cDNA libraries were prepared using TruSeq RNA Sample Preparation Kit v2 (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) with individual indexing. The sequencing was conducted on a HiScanSQ System (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) in single 85 bp cycles using TruSeq Kit v3-HS chemistry (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA), as described by Piórkowska et al [24].…”

“…The sequence data (GSE122349) has been submitted to the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Raw read processing was performed as described by Piórkowska et al [24]. Cleaned reads were represented by Fragments Per Kilobase of transcript per Million mapped reads (FPKM) values.…”

Assessing breed integrity of Göttingen Minipigs

“…Although the RVIS values from the genetic intolerance analysis suggest that the respective genes are relatively tolerant to changes in functional variation, there should be further research on the real functionality, since some genes may have influence on important features of GMPs. While high differentiation in one candidate, CAMK2B, seems even vital to maintain cellular functions [20,21], for example, ARRB1 has found to be involved in feed conversion in pigs [22], AIRE is an important pathway gene of auto-immune response [23], and CHST12 is differentially expressed in Oocytes after nuclear transfer in mice [24]. Nine of these SNPs are identified when the DA2 and DA3 subpopulation are involved in a pairwise comparison, three of them are between DA2 and 3 and five are between a DA unit and NR, indicating that there is detectable differentiation between the DA units and NR.…”

Identification of Molecular Mechanisms Related to Pig Fatness at the Transcriptome and miRNAome Levels

“…Pérez-Montarelo et al [ 13 ] confirmed that the usage of network interaction based on hypothalamic transcriptome analysis could pinpoint candidate genes for fatness in pigs. The transcriptomic profiling of the swine pituitary showed the strong association of this gland with postnatal growth and development [ 14 ], and also with fatness-associated traits [ 15 ].…”