title: Transcriptome profiling identifies differentially expressed genes in postnatal developing pituitary gland of miniature pig.
abstract: In recent years, Tibetan pig and Bama pig are popularly used as animal models for medical researches. However, little genomic information is available for the two breeds, particularly regarding gene expression pattern at the whole-transcriptome level. In this study, we characterized the pituitary transcriptome profile along their postnatal developmental stages within and between the two breeds in order to illustrate the differential dynamics and functions of differentially expressed genes. We obtained a total of ∼300 million 80-bp paired-end reads, detected 15 715 previously annotated genes. Most of the genes (90.33%) were shared between the two breeds with the main functions in metabolic process. Four hormone genes (GH, PRL, LHB, and FSHB) were detected in all samples with extremely high levels of expression. Functional differences between the three developmental stages (infancy, puberty and adulthood) in each breed were dominantly presented by the gene expressions at the first stage. That is, Bama pig was over-represented in the genes involved in the cellular process, while Tibetan pig was over-represented in the genes represented by the reproductive process. The identified SNPs indicated that the divergence between the miniature pig breeds and the large pig (Duroc) were greater than that between the two miniature pig breeds. This study substantially expands our knowledge concerning the genes transcribed in the pig pituitary gland and provides an overview of pituitary transcriptome dynamics throughout the period of postnatal development.
authors.affiliation: 1Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yuli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Haitao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.forename: Kenan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Jiayan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Meng-Hua
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008297:Male; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D013552:Swine; D013556:Swine, Miniature / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*
keywords: RNA-sequencing; miniature pig; pituitary gland; whole transcriptome analysis