Genomic Prediction of Semen Traits in Boars Incorporating Biological Interactions.

In the context of modern pig farming, the central role of boars is underscored by large-scale centralized breeding and the widespread application of artificial insemination techniques. However, previous studies and breeding programs have focused mainly on product efficiency traits, such as growth rate, lean meat yield, and litter size, often neglecting boar semen traits. In this study, we estimated the genetic parameters and assessed the genomic prediction accuracy of boar semen traits with phenotypes evaluated from 274,332 ejections in a large population consisting of 2467 Duroc boars.

, Regulated by Non-CpG Methylation, Plays an Important Role in Immature Porcine Sertoli Cell Proliferation.

The regulatory role of non-CpG methylation in mammals has been important in whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. It has also been suggested that non-CpG methylation regulates gene expression to affect the development and health of mammals. However, the dynamic regulatory mechanisms of genome-wide, non-CpG methylation during testicular development still require intensive study.

FSH promotes immature porcine Sertoli cell proliferation by activating the CCR7/Ras-ERK signaling axis.

In Brief: The appropriate growth and functions of Sertoli cells are crucial to testis development and spermatogenesis in mammals. This study reveals a novel mechanism of follicle-stimulating hormone in immature porcine Sertoli cell proliferation.

Abstract: Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is a major Sertoli cell mitogen that binds to the FSH receptor.

Regulation of DNA methylation during the testicular development of Shaziling pigs.

DNA methylation is one of the key epigenetic regulatory mechanisms in development and spermatogenesis. However, the dynamic regulatory mechanisms of genome-wide DNA methylation during testicular development remain largely unknown. Herein, we generated a single-base resolution DNA methylome and transcriptome atlas of precocious porcine testicular tissues across three developmental stages (1, 75, and 150 days old).

circBTBD7 Promotes Immature Porcine Sertoli Cell Growth through Modulating miR-24-3p/ Axis to Inactivate p38 MAPK Signaling Pathway.

Sertoli cells are the crucial coordinators to guarantee normal spermatogenesis and male fertility. Although circular RNAs (circRNAs) exhibit developmental-stage-specific expression in porcine testicular tissues and have been thought of as potential regulatory molecules in spermatogenesis, their functions and mechanisms of action remain largely unknown, especially in domestic animals. A novel circBTBD7 was identified from immature porcine Sertoli cells using reverse transcription PCR, Sanger sequencing, and fluorescence in situ hybridization assays.

miR-126 Controls the Apoptosis and Proliferation of Immature Porcine Sertoli Cells by Targeting the Gene through the PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway.

The quantity of Sertoli cells in the adult testis decides the daily gamete formation, and accumulating evidence indicates that epigenetic factors regulate the proliferation of Sertoli cells. Research on the function and regulatory mechanism of microRNAs (miRNAs) in Sertoli cells has not been comprehensive yet, especially on domestic animals. In this article, we report that miR-126 controls the proliferation and apoptosis of immature porcine Sertoli cells based on previous studies.

miR-222 Suppresses Immature Porcine Sertoli Cell Growth by Targeting the Gene Through Inactivating the PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway.

Sertoli cells are central and essential coordinators of spermatogenesis. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that miRNAs participate in the regulation of Sertoli cell growth. However, the functions and the regulatory mechanisms of miRNAs in Sertoli cells of domestic animals remain largely unknown.

miR-130a promotes immature porcine Sertoli cell growth by activating SMAD5 through the TGF-β-PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Sertoli cells play vital roles in normal spermatogenesis, and microRNAs (miRNAs) participate in regulating Sertoli cell development. However, the functions and mechanisms of action of most identified miRNAs in porcine Sertoli cells remain largely unknown. Herein, we primarily explored the regulatory roles of miR-130a in immature porcine Sertoli cells using EdU-based high-content screening assay.

The application of genomic selection in pig cross breeding.

Genomic selection is a form of marker-assisted selection in which genetic markers covering the entire genome are used so that all quantitative trait loci are in linkage disequilibrium with at least one marker. Genomic selection improves the efficiency and accuracy of breeding and it is widely used in purebred breeding across many animal species. However, some studies indicate that the accuracy of genome selection in cross breeding needs to be improved,especially in cross population.

miR-362 knock-down promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis in porcine immature Sertoli cells by targeting the RMI1 gene.

Immature Sertoli cell proliferation determines the total number of mature Sertoli cells and further regulates normal spermatogenesis. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that microRNAs (miRNAs) play regulatory roles in immature Sertoli cell proliferation, while the functions and mechanisms of the Sertoli cells of domestic animals are poorly understood. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the roles of miR-362 in cell proliferation and apoptosis of porcine immature Sertoli cells.

miR-499 promotes immature porcine Sertoli cell growth through the PI3K/AKT pathway by targeting the PTEN gene.

Sertoli cells are indispensable for normal spermatogenesis, and increasing evidence has shown that miRNAs participate in the regulation of Sertoli cell growth. However, the functions and regulatory mechanisms of miRNAs in Sertoli cells of domestic animals have not been fully investigated. In the present study, we mainly investigated the regulatory roles of miR-499 in immature porcine Sertoli cells.

miR-26a inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis in porcine immature Sertoli cells by targeting the PAK2 gene.

Accumulating reports have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) participate in regulating the complex processes of animal testis development and spermatogenesis; yet, the mechanisms by which miRNAs regulate spermatogenesis are poorly understood. miR-26a was identified as a miRNA that is differentially expressed among different pig testicular tissue developmental stages in our previous study. In this study, p21 activated kinase 2 (PAK2) gene was determined as one target gene of miR-26a by luciferase reporter assay, and miR-26a repressed the PAK2 mRNA abundance in porcine Sertoli cells.

Genome-wide analysis of long non-coding RNAs and their role in postnatal porcine testis development.

A comprehensive and systematic understanding of the roles of lncRNAs in the postnatal development of the pig testis has still not been achieved. In the present study, we obtained more than one billion clean reads and identified 15,528 lncRNA transcripts; these transcripts included 5032 known and 10,496 novel porcine lncRNA transcripts and corresponded to 10,041 lncRNA genes. Pairwise comparisons identified 449 known and 324 novel lncRNAs that showed differential expression patterns.

The role of ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in spermatogenesis.

Ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) is the main pathway of protein degradation in eukaryotic cells. The UPP plays very important roles in cell cycle progression, apoptosis, stress response and growth and development through regulating protein interaction, protein activity, protein localization and signal transduction. Previous studies have shown that the UPP is essential for regulating acrosome and tail biogenesis during spermatogenesis in human and animals.

Systematic Identification of Long Noncoding RNAs in Immature and Mature Porcine Testes.

Thousands of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified in mouse, rat, and human testes, some of which play important roles in testis development and spermatogenesis. However, systematic analysis of lncRNAs expressed in postnatal pig testes has not been reported. Thus, in this study, we present the expression and characterization of lncRNAs in immature (30-day-old [D30]) and mature (180-day-old [D180]) pig testes.

The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Meishan pig () and a phylogenetic study.

In this study, we cloned and sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome DNA of Chinese pig, the Meishan pig. The sample was taken from Yencheng City, Jiangsu province in China. The complete genome DNA is 16 708 bp in length.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Jintang black goat (Capra hircus).

Jintang black goat (Capra hircus) is an indigenous breed of Sichuan province of China. It is the first time that the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Jintang black goat is reported in this work, which is determined through the PCR-based method. The total length of the mitogenome is 16,813 bp, which contains two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, 13 PCGs, and a control region (D-loop region).

The complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome of Luchuan pig (Sus scrofa).

Luchuan pig is one of the famous native breeds in China. In this study, we report the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Luchuan pig for the first time, which is determined through the PCR-based method. The total length of the mitogenome is 16,710 bp with the base composition of 34.

The complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome of Dahuabai pig (SusScrofa).

Dahuabai pig is one of the most important indigenous breed of the Guangzhou province of China. It is the first time that the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Dahuabai pig is reported in this work, which is determined through the PCR-based method. The total length of the mitognome is 16,709 bp, which contains a control region (D-loop region), 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes and 22 tRNA genes.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Xiangdong black goat (Capra hircus).

Xiangdong black goat (Capra hircus) is a native breed of Hunan province in China. It is the first time that the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Xiangdong black goat is reported in this work, which is determined through the PCR-based method. The total length of the mitognome is 16,641 bp, which contains 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, 13 PCGs and 1 conntrol region (D-loop region).

[Advances in porcine miRNAome].

MicroRNA (miRNA), a class of non-coding RNA (about 22 nt), widely exists in different organisms and plays an important role in growth, development, and apoptosis. Recently, many studies have shown that miRNAs serve as a regulatory mechanism in mediating the development of pig muscle, fat, reproductive and immunity traits. The next-generation of high-throughput sequencing technology plays a critical role on finding new miRNAs and identifying their different expressions in pig.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Congjiang miniature pig (Sus scrofa).

Congjiang miniature pig is one of the most important local pig breeds in China. It is the first time that the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Lantang pig is reported in this work, which is determined through the PCR-based method. The total length of the mitogenome is 16,772 bp, which contains 1 control region (D-loop region), 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 13 PCGs and 22 tRNA genes.

The complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome of Guanling pig (Sus scrofa).

Guanling pig is one of the native breeds in Guizhou Province in China. The compete mitochondrial genome of Guanling pig was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The result shows that the compete mitochondrial genome of Guanling pig is 16,731 bp, and it contains a major non-coding control region (D-Loop region), 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) and 22 transfer RNA genes.