Integrated Proteotranscriptomics Reveals Differences in Molecular Immunity between Min and Large White Pig Breeds

Area of Science:

• Animal Genetics
• Immunology
• Comparative Genomics

Background:

• Disease resistance in pigs is influenced by long-term selection and evolution.
• Understanding molecular mechanisms of varying disease resistance levels is crucial for swine breeding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize immune differences between resistant (Min pig) and susceptible (Large White, LW) breeds.
• To identify molecular markers associated with disease resistance in pigs.

Main Methods:

• Comparative transcriptomics and proteomics analysis of Min pigs and Large White pigs.
• Functional clustering, gene set enrichment analysis, and correlation analysis with cytokines.
• Validation using parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) analysis.

Main Results:

• 135 proteins and 791 genes showed differential expression between breeds.
• Min pigs had higher expression of proteins involved in immune responses (humoral, B cell, innate).
• Enriched pathways in Min pigs included cell adhesion molecules and antigen processing; 13 differentially expressed genes linked to immune disease QTLs.

Conclusions:

• Identified key genes (e.g., NELL2, LDHB) and pathways contributing to disease resistance differences.
• LW pigs showed upregulated proteins associated with immunosuppressive/pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, IL-6, TNF-α).
• Findings provide insights for breeding pigs with enhanced disease resistance.