Functional Genomics Research contributes to the Development of Pig breeding in China

??? Pig industry is the pillar industry of animal husbandry in China. Cultivating excellent breeding pigs with high yield, high quality and disease resistance is the fundamental guarantee to realize the sustainable development of pig industry in our country. In recent years, China has made a number of internationally influential achievements in the field of functional genomics research on pig growth, meat quality and disease resistance traits. however, there is a lack of functional gene isolation and identification, gene network regulation and the construction of functional genomics platform for important economic traits of pigs, which can not meet the needs of pig breed improvement and pig molecular design and breeding in China. In 2013, the project "functional Genomics Research on important Economic traits of Pigs" was launched in the field of modern agricultural technology of 863 Program. Recently, the Ministry of Science and Technology organized relevant experts to conduct a mid-term inspection of the subject.

Since the launch of the project "functional Genomics Research on important Economic traits of Pigs", the research group has focused on the strategic needs of new achievements and technologies of functional genomics for the sustainable development of China's pig industry. Focusing on the functional genomics analysis of growth, meat quality, disease resistance and other traits, and the establishment of large-scale mutant strains of pigs, the collection of data for different traits of more than 2000 pigs has been completed. The genome (weight) sequencing of more than 20 local pig breeds in China, such as Rongchang pig and Tibetan pig, was completed. Through data analysis, the research group identified the selected regions or genes in different pig breeds. Based on the genome sequencing analysis of Tibetan pigs, the genomic mechanism of the evolution of special environmental adaptability of Tibetan pigs was revealed. The relevant research results were published in the well-known international journal NatureGenetics. At the same time, the research group selected piggyBac transposon vector pZG, electrotransferred pZG plasmid and pCAG-4PB-ineo plasmid together and sorted GFP positive cells as donors. PZG positive pigs and healthy pCAG-4PB-ineo transgenic pigs were obtained, and new materials of piggyBac transgenic mutant pigs were created. This method has been proved to be an effective way to realize large-scale gene mutation in pigs with high efficiency, simplicity and low cost, and will greatly promote the development of livestock breeding and new medical drugs.

According to the mid-term inspection expert group, after more than two years of research, the research group of functional genomics of important economic traits of pigs has made great progress in the improvement of research tools and platforms of pig functional genomics, the analysis of pig genome structure and growth, meat quality and other economic traits, which has made great breakthroughs in the theory and key technologies of animal breeding in China. It is of great practical significance to improve the research level of pig functional genome and the ability of independent innovation in China. Ministry of Science and Technology