Diet-Dependent Changes of the DNA Methylome Using a Göttingen Minipig Model for Obesity.

Environmental factors can influence obesity by epigenetic mechanisms. The aim of this study was to investigate obesity-related epigenetic changes and the potential for reversal of these changes in the liver of Göttingen minipigs subjected to diet interventions. High-throughput liquid hybridization capture-based bisulfite sequencing (LHC-BS) was used to quantify the methylation status of gene promotor regions in liver tissue in three groups of male castrated Göttingen minipigs: a standard chow group (SD, = 7); a group fed high fat/fructose/cholesterol diet (FFC, = 10) and a group fed high fat/fructose/cholesterol diet during 7 months and reversed to standard diet for 6 months (FFC/SD, = 12).

The expression signatures in liver and adipose tissue from obese Göttingen Minipigs reveal a predisposition for healthy fat accumulation.

Background: Model animals are valuable resources for dissecting basic aspects of the regulation of obesity and metabolism. The translatability of results relies on understanding comparative aspects of molecular pathophysiology. Several studies have shown that despite the presence of overt obesity and dyslipidemia in the pig key human pathological hepatic findings such as hepatocellular ballooning and abundant steatosis are lacking in the model.

F-FDG PET/MR-imaging in a Göttingen Minipig model of atherosclerosis: Correlations with histology and quantitative gene expression.

Background And Aims: The advantage of combining molecular and morphological imaging, e.g. positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI), is reflected in the increased use of these modalities as surrogate end-points in clinical trials.

Experimental non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in Göttingen Minipigs: consequences of high fat-fructose-cholesterol diet and diabetes.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in humans, and ranges from steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the latter with risk of progression to cirrhosis. The Göttingen Minipig has been used in studies of obesity and diabetes, but liver changes have not been described. The aim of this study was to characterize hepatic changes in Göttingen Minipigs with or without diabetes, fed a diet high in fat, fructose, and cholesterol to see if liver alterations resemble features of human NAFLD/NASH.

An improved method for lifting and transporting anesthetized pigs within an animal facility.

Transporting anesthetized pigs in a laboratory setting often requires strenuous manual lifting, posing a hazard to the safety of animal care personnel and to the welfare of the pigs. The authors developed an improved approach to lifting and transporting anesthetized pigs weighing up to 350 kg using mechanical lifts. Different equipment was used to accommodate pigs of different sizes as well as the building designs of three animal facilities.