Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in fundamental and diverse biological processes, including myogenesis. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in this process remain largely unexplored. This study found that H19 affected the differentiation of porcine satellite cells (PSCs) by directly binding to the DNA/RNA-binding protein TDP43. Functional analyses showed that TDP43 knockdown decreased PSC differentiation, whereas TDP43 overexpression exerted opposite effects in vitro. Furthermore, rescue experiments demonstrated that TDP43 can rescue the decrease in PSC differentiation caused by H19 knockdown. Mechanistically, H19 may act as a scaffold to recruit TDP43 to the promoters of MYOD and thereby activate the transcription of MYOD, leading to PSC differentiation. In summary, we elucidate the molecular mechanism by which H19 and TDP43 regulate myogenesis.

Post-weaning diarrhea is common in piglets, causing huge economic losses worldwide. Associations between LPS challenge, intestinal inflammation, and microbiota have been reported in Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) crossbred pigs. However, the effects of LPS challenge in other breeds remain unclear. In the current study, we performed a comprehensive comparative analysis of the effects of LPS challenge on jejunal mucosal morphology, jejunal microbial composition, and serum indexes in two pig breeds: DLY and Heigai, an indigenous Chinese breed. The results showed that LPS caused considerable damage to the mucosal morphology, enhanced serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and the intestinal permeability index, and lowered the antioxidant capacity index. LPS challenge also changed the microbial composition and structure of the jejunum, significantly increased the abundances of Escherichia-Shigella in DLY pigs, and decreased those of Gemella and Saccharimonadales in Heigai pigs. Furthermore, LPS challenge triggered functional changes in energy metabolism and activities related to the stress response in the jejunal bacterial community, alleviating the inflammatory response in Heigai pigs. This study also revealed that Heigai pigs had a weaker immune response to LPS challenge than DLY pigs, and identified several genera related to the breed-specific phenotypes of Heigai pigs, including Gemella, Saccharimonadales, Clostridia_UCG_014, Terrisporobacter, and Dielma. Our collective findings uncovered differences between Heigai and DLY pigs in intestinal inflammation and microbiota dysbiosis induced by LPS challenge, providing a theoretical basis for unraveling the mechanism of intestinal inflammation in swine and proposing microbial candidates involved in the resistance to diarrhea in piglets.

Intestinal microbiota has an important impact on pig phenotypes. Previous studies mainly focused on the microbiota of feces and worldwide farmed commercial pigs, while research on the microbiota of various intestinal sections and indigenous pig breeds is very limited. This study aimed to characterize and compare the biogeography of intestinal microbiota in pigs of one Chinese indigenous breed and one commercial crossbred. In this study, we sequenced the microbiota of six intestinal segments in the grown-up pigs of a Chinese indigenous breed, Laiwu pigs, and the worldwide farmed crossbred Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) pigs by 16S rRNA sequencing, characterized the biogeography of intestinal microbiota, and compared the compositional and functional differences between the two breeds. The results showed that there were obvious differences in microbial structure and abundance between the small and large intestines. Laiwu pigs had higher large intestinal diversity than DLY pigs, while DLY pigs had higher small intestinal diversity than Laiwu pigs. Moreover, some specific bacterial taxa and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways were found to be related to the high fat deposition and good meat quality of Laiwu pigs and the high growth speed and lean meat rate of DLY pigs. This study provides an insight into the shifts in taxonomic composition, microbial diversity, and functional profile of intestinal microbiota in six intestinal segments of Laiwu and DLY pigs, which would be essential for exploring the potential influence of the host’s genetic background on variation in microbiota composition and diversity.

Fat deposition represents a crucial feature in the expenditure of physical energy and affects the meat quality of farm animals. It is regulated by multiple genes and regulators. Of them, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play a critical role in modulating the fat deposition process. As well as being an important protein source, farm animals can be used as medical models, so many researchers worldwide have explored their mechanism of fat deposition. This article summarizes the transcription factors, regulatory genes, and signaling pathways involved in the molecular regulation process of fat deposition; outlines the progress of researching the roles of microRNAs (miRNAs), long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs) in fat deposition in common farm animals including pigs, cattle, sheep, ducks, and chickens; and identifies scientific problems in the field that must be further investigated. It has been demonstrated that ncRNAs play a critical role in regulating the fat deposition process and have great potential in improving meat quality traits.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) are important classes of small noncoding RNAs that can regulate numerous biological processes. To understand the role of message RNA (mRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs) in the regulation of intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition, in this study the expression profiles of longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle from six Laiwu pigs (three with extremely high and three with extremely low IMF content) were sequenced based on rRNA-depleted library construction. In total, 323 differentially expressed protein-coding genes (DEGs), 180 lncRNAs (DELs) and 105 circRNAs (DECs) were detected between the high IMF and low IMF groups. Functional analysis indicated that most DEGs, and some target genes of DELs, were enriched into GO terms and pathways related to adipogenesis, suggesting their important roles in regulating IMF deposition. In addition, 12 DELs were observed to exhibit a positive relationship with stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PCK1), and adiponectin (ADIPOQ), suggesting they are highly likely to be the target genes of DELs. Finally, we constructed a source gene-circRNA-miRNA connective network, and some of miRNA of the network have been reported to affect lipid metabolism or adipogenesis. Overall, this work provides a valuable resource for further research and helps to understand the potential functions of lncRNAs and circRNAs in IMF deposition.

Liangshan Black pigs are a new Chinese indigenous breed discovered during the Third National Survey of Livestock and Plant Genetic Resources. To uncover genetic diversity, population structure, and potential exotic introgression in this breed, we sampled 191 Liangshan Black pigs from the conservation population and genotyped these individuals using the “Zhongxin-I” porcine chip, then conducted in-depth population genetic analyses in the context of pigs from five introduced breeds. The results revealed that the tested individuals exhibited significant genetic diversity, displayed uneven kinship relationships, and were assigned to nine families according to their clustering patterns in the phylogenetic tree. Further relationship analyses with the five introduced breeds demonstrated that Liangshan Black pigs were clustered separately from the introduced breeds, had larger evolutionary distances with the introduced breeds, and possessed certain genetic components of the introduced breeds, especially those of Duroc. These findings demonstrate that Liangshan Black pigs are generally an indigenous breed independent of the introduced breeds but are slightly affected by the introduced breeds. In summary, the results of our study not only contribute to an in-depth understanding of the population genetic characteristics of Liangshan Black pigs but also provide the necessary data for the implementation of conservation programs.