Cencen Li1, Cheng Zou1, Yong Cui2, Yuhua Fu1, Chengchi Fang1, Yao Li1, Jingxuan Li1, Wen Wang3, Hui Xiang2, Changchun Li1. 1. Key Lab of Agriculture Animal Genetics, Breeding, & Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science & Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China. 2. Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Insect Development Regulation & Application Research, Institute of Insect Science & Technology & School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, PR China. 3. Center for Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Key Laboratory for Space Bioscience & Biotechnology, Northwestern Poly-technical University, Xi'an, 710072, PR China.
Abstract
AIM: We aimed to identify previously unreported long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) in the porcine liver, an important metabolic tissue, and further illustrate the epigenomic landscapes and the evolution of lincRNAs. MATERIALS & METHODS: We used porcine omics data and comprehensively analyzed and identified lincRNAs and their methylation, expression and evolutionary patterns during pig domestication. RESULTS: LincRNAs exhibit highly methylated promoter and downstream regions, as well as lower expression levels and higher tissue specificity than protein-coding genes. We identified a batch of lincRNAs with selection signals that are associated with pig domestication, which are more highly expressed in the liver than in other tissues (19:10/8/6/3/2/1/1). Interestingly, the lincRNA linc-sscg1779 and its target gene C6, which is crucial in liver metabolism, are differentially expressed during pig domestication. CONCLUSION: Although they may originate from noisy transcripts, lincRNAs may be subjected to artificial selection. This phenomenon implies the functional importance of lincRNAs in pig domestication.
AIM: We aimed to identify previously unreported long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) in the porcine liver, an important metabolic tissue, and further illustrate the epigenomic landscapes and the evolution of lincRNAs. MATERIALS & METHODS: We used porcine omics data and comprehensively analyzed and identified lincRNAs and their methylation, expression and evolutionary patterns during pig domestication. RESULTS: LincRNAs exhibit highly methylated promoter and downstream regions, as well as lower expression levels and higher tissue specificity than protein-coding genes. We identified a batch of lincRNAs with selection signals that are associated with pig domestication, which are more highly expressed in the liver than in other tissues (19:10/8/6/3/2/1/1). Interestingly, the lincRNA linc-sscg1779 and its target gene C6, which is crucial in liver metabolism, are differentially expressed during pig domestication. CONCLUSION: Although they may originate from noisy transcripts, lincRNAs may be subjected to artificial selection. This phenomenon implies the functional importance of lincRNAs in pig domestication.