P0108
Whole Transcriptome Analysis of Porcine Reproductive Tissues from an Iberian × Meishan Extreme F2 Population
Whole Transcriptome Analysis of Porcine Reproductive Tissues from an Iberian × Meishan Extreme F2 Population
Date: Monday, January 14, 2013
Room: Grand Exhibit Hall
Pigs are economically the most important species in livestock production. Its productivity is narrowly related to the reproductive efficiency and could be improved through components as age at puberty, fertility and prolificacy. Prolificacy is the most important trait from a genetic and economic point of view, because of its positive impact on productivity. However, it is a complex trait regulated by a large number of genes, which has hindered its selection. Recent advances in molecular genetics such as the transcriptomic analysis by massive RNA sequencing have provided a powerful tool to better understand the genetic architecture of prolificacy related traits in pigs. Our aim was to perform a whole transcriptome analysis of uterus from pregnant Iberian x Meishan F2 sows, with extreme values for the number of embryos (NE) at day 30-32 of gestation. The final objective was to identify both, potential genes and non-coding transcripts related with reproductive efficiency in these two breeds that differ significantly in their prolificacy levels.
The expression pattern of mRNAs, miRNAs and non coding RNAs was studied using three separate Ion 318™ Chips (Ion Torrent PGM sequencer) for each sample. Approximately, five millions of sequences per chip were obtained and mapped to the Sus scrofa genome (Ssc.10.2 version). This study provides an overview of the uterine transcriptome in pregnant sows. Furthermore, differentially expressed RNAs regarding prolificacy levels have been identified which could help in the understanding of the porcine reproduction process.