Project description:Although the well-known importance of pig in agriculture, as well as a model for human biology, the miRNA catalog of pig has been largely undefined. Identification and preliminary characterization of adipose- and muscle-specific miRNAs would be a prerequisite for a thorough understanding of their roles in regulating adipose deposition and muscle growth. In the present study, we get insight into the miRNA transcriptome in eight adipose tissues, two skeletal muscles and cardiac muscle of pig using deep sequencing technology, and to elucidate their characteristic tissue-specific profiles and genomic context. Eleven small RNA libraries from eight adipose tissues, two skeletal muscle tissues and cardiac muscle of pig were sequenced.
Project description:The bilaminar disc of early pig embryos closely mirrors that of humans making it a powerful model for studying gastrulation. Given the difficulties obtaining embryos in non-rodents, early cell-fate decisions during mammalian gastrulation remain ill-understood. Here we present a single-cell transcriptomic atlas of pig gastrulation and early organogenesis. We uncover the dynamics of cell fate emergence during pig peri-gastrulation and reveal conserved and species-specific transcriptional programs across different mammals. Combined with investigations in embryos and embryonic stem cells, we elucidate the spatial, molecular, and temporal events during definitive endoderm (DE) formation. We show that early FOXA2+ epiblast progenitors become DE without undergoing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, contrasting later emerging FOXA2/TBXT+ anterior primitive streak, which form node/notochord progenitors. We demonstrate that DE fate is driven by hypoblast-derived NODAL signalling, which is extinguished upon DE differentiation. These findings highlight the interplay between temporal and topological signalling during early cell fate decisions during mammalian gastrulation.
Project description:Although the well-known importance of pig in agriculture, as well as a model for human biology, the miRNA catalog of pig has been largely undefined. Identification and preliminary characterization of adipose- and muscle-specific miRNAs would be a prerequisite for a thorough understanding of their roles in regulating adipose deposition and muscle growth. In the present study, we get insight into the miRNA transcriptome in eight adipose tissues, two skeletal muscles and cardiac muscle of pig using deep sequencing technology, and to elucidate their characteristic tissue-specific profiles and genomic context.
Project description:The pig is a promising candidate for xenotransplantation. Understanding the differences between human and swine immune systems is critical for addressing xeno-transplant rejection and hematopoietic reconstitution. We performed single-cell RNA-seq on human and pig immune cells. High oxidative phosphorylation, HIF-1, glycolysis, and lysosome-related gene expressions in pig CD14+ monocytes were observed, whereas pig CD14+ monocytes exhibited lower levels of cytokine receptors and JAK-STAT-related genes. Pig activated CD4+T cells decreased cell adhesion and inflammation, while enriched for migration and activation processes. Porcine GNLY+CD8+T cells reduced cytotoxicity and increased proliferation compared with human GNLY+CD8+T cells. Pig CD2+CD8+γδT cells were functionally homologous to human CD2+CD4+ γδT cells. Pig CD2-CD8-γδT cells expressed genes with quiescent and precursor characteristics, while CD2-CD8+γδT cells expressed migration and memory-related molecules. Pig CD24+ and CD5+B cells are associated with inflammatory responses. Our research with integrated scRNA-seq enables a deeper understanding of the development and function of porcine immune cells.