Miao Y, Fu C, Liao M, Fang F. Differences in Liver microRNA profiling in pigs with low and high
feed efficiency.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 2022;
64:312-329. [PMID:
35530409 PMCID:
PMC9039951 DOI:
10.5187/jast.2022.e4]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Feed cost is the main factor affecting the economic benefits of pig industry.
Improving the feed efficiency (FE) can reduce the feed cost and improve the
economic benefits of pig breeding enterprises. Liver is a complex metabolic
organ which affects the distribution of nutrients and regulates the efficiency
of energy conversion from nutrients to muscle or fat, thereby affecting feed
efficiency. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that can regulate feed
efficiency through the modulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional
level. In this study, we analyzed miRNA profiling of liver tissues in High-FE
and Low-FE pigs for the purpose of identifying key miRNAs related to feed
efficiency. A total 212~221 annotated porcine miRNAs and 136~281 novel
miRNAs were identified in the pig liver. Among them, 188 annotated miRNAs were
co-expressed in High-FE and Low-FE pigs. The 14 miRNAs were significantly
differentially expressed (DE) in the livers of high-FE pigs and low-FE pigs, of
which 5 were downregulated and 9 were upregulated. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes
and Genomes analysis of liver DE miRNAs in high-FE pigs and low-FE pigs
indicated that the target genes of DE miRNAs were significantly enriched in
insulin signaling pathway, Gonadotropin-releasing hormone signaling pathway, and
mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway. To verify the reliability of
sequencing results, 5 DE miRNAs were randomly selected for quantitative reverse
transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The qRT-PCR results of miRNAs
were confirmed to be consistent with sequencing data. DE miRNA data indicated
that liver-specific miRNAs synergistically acted with mRNAs to improve feed
efficiency. The liver miRNAs expression analysis revealed the metabolic pathways
by which the liver miRNAs regulate pig feed efficiency.
Collapse