Study on the Characteristics of Coarse Feeding Tolerance of Ding’an Pigs: Phenotypic and Candidate Genes Identification

TL;DR

This study identifies genetic factors that allow Ding’an pigs to tolerate coarse diets better than other pig breeds, potentially aiding in breeding and feed strategies.

Contribution

The study identifies novel candidate genes and pathways associated with coarse feeding tolerance in Ding’an pigs through transcriptomic analysis.

Findings

Ding’an pigs showed no reduction in meat quality traits when fed high crude fiber diets, unlike DLY pigs.

Transcriptomic analysis identified 65 and 482 candidate genes related to coarse feeding tolerance in Ding’an pigs.

Four key candidate genes (LDHB, MLC1, LSG1, ESM1) were highlighted as potentially regulating coarse feeding tolerance.

Abstract

Ding’an (DA) pig, a prominent local breed in Hainan Province, exhibits notable advantages in coarse feeding tolerance and high-quality meat. To explore the potential genetic mechanism of coarse feeding tolerance in DA pigs, 60-day-old full sibling pairs of DA and DLY (Duroc-Landrace-Yorkshire) pigs were subjected to fed normal (5%) and high (10%) crude fiber diets for 56 days, respectively. The findings showed that increasing the crude fiber level had no impact on the apparent digestibility of crude fiber, intramuscular fat, and marbling scores in DA pigs, whereas these factors were significantly reduced in DLY pigs (p < 0.05). Through differential expression analysis and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) of the colonic mucosal transcriptome data, 65 and 482 candidate genes with coarse feeding tolerance in DA pigs were identified, respectively. Joint analysis screened four key candidate genes, including LDHB, MLC1, LSG1, and ESM1, potentially serving as key regulated genes for coarse feeding tolerance. Functional analysis revealed that the most significant pathway enriched in differential genes associated with coarse feeding tolerance in Ding’an pigs was the signaling receptor binding. The results hold substantial significance for advancing our understanding of the genetic mechanisms governing coarse feeding tolerance in Ding’an pigs.

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