The first comprehensive description of the expression profile of genes involved in differential body growth and the immune system of the Jeju Native Pig and miniature pig

Sus scrofa provides a major source of animal protein for humans as well as being an excellent biomedical model. This study was carried out to understand, in detail, the genetic and functional variants of Jeju Native Pigs and miniature pigs through differential expression profiling of the genes controlling their immune response, growth performance, and meat quality. The Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform was used for generating 1.3 billion 90 bp paired-end reads, which were mapped to the S. scrofa genome using TopHat2. A total of 2481 and 2768 genes were differentially expressed with 8-log changes in muscle and liver samples, respectively. Five hundred forty-eight genes in muscle and 642 genes in liver samples had BLAST matches within the non-redundant database. GO process and pathway analyses showed enhanced biological processes related to the extracellular structural organization and skeletal muscle cell differentiation in muscle tissue, whereas the liver tissue shares functions related to the inflammatory response. Herein, we identify inflammatory regulatory genes in miniature pigs and growth response genes in Jeju Native Pigs, information which can provide a stronger base for the selection of breeding stock and facilitate further in vitro and in vivo studies for therapeutic purposes.