College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China.
Gansu Innovations Center for Swine Production Engineering and Technology, Lanzhou 730070, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Oct 25;25(21):11488. doi: 10.3390/ijms252111488.
The Hezuo pig, an important native Tibetan breed in China, exhibits differences in adult body weight, with females typically heavier than males. The underlying mechanisms for this disparity remain unclear. DNA methylation changes are known to influence animal growth and development and regulate Hezuo pig growth by altering gene expression related to these processes, thus differentially affecting adult body weight between genders. This study conducted DNA methylation analysis and expression profiling using pituitary tissues from male and female Hezuo pigs at 3 and 8 months old (M3M, M3F, M8M, and M8F). In total 346, 795, 371, and 839 differentially methylated genes (DMGs) were identified in the M3M vs. M3F, M3F vs. M8F, M3M vs. M8M, and M8M vs. M8F groups, respectively. The comparative analysis of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) genes and DEGs (differentially expressed regions) revealed that key genes involved in growth, hormone secretion, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis are primarily enriched in signaling pathways such as PI3K-Akt, Hippo, and adrenergic. Further analysis combining methylation and transcriptomics identified five candidate methylated genes (, , , , and ) linked to adult body weight in Hezuo pigs. Additionally, the correlation analysis suggested that these genes influence growth and development in boars and sows by regulating the secretion and synthesis of related hormones, leading to heavier weights in females. In conclusion, variations in adult body weight between male and female pigs may stem from the impact of DNA methylation on gene expression related to growth and development. These findings offer new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of DNA methylation during weight gain in Hezuo pigs.
合作猪是中国重要的本土藏猪品种,其成年体重存在差异,雌性通常比雄性重。这种差异的潜在机制尚不清楚。DNA 甲基化变化已知会影响动物的生长和发育,并通过改变与这些过程相关的基因表达来调节合作猪的生长,从而对性别间的成年体重产生不同的影响。本研究使用 3 月龄和 8 月龄雄性和雌性合作猪的垂体组织进行了 DNA 甲基化分析和表达谱分析(M3M、M3F、M8M 和 M8F)。在 M3M 与 M3F、M3F 与 M8F、M3M 与 M8M 和 M8M 与 M8F 组中,分别鉴定出 346、795、371 和 839 个差异甲基化基因(DMGs)。差异甲基化区域(DMRs)基因和差异表达基因(DEGs)的比较分析表明,参与生长、激素分泌和下丘脑-垂体-性腺轴的关键基因主要富集在 PI3K-Akt、Hippo 和肾上腺素能等信号通路中。结合甲基化和转录组学的进一步分析鉴定了五个与合作猪成年体重相关的候选甲基化基因(、、、、和)。此外,相关性分析表明,这些基因通过调节相关激素的分泌和合成,影响公猪和母猪的生长发育,导致母猪体重增加。总之,雌雄猪成年体重的差异可能源于 DNA 甲基化对生长和发育相关基因表达的影响。这些发现为合作猪体重增加过程中 DNA 甲基化的调控机制提供了新的见解。