Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Jun 6:6:27507.
doi: 10.1038/srep27507.

Genome-wide DNA methylation profiles changes associated with constant heat stress in pigs as measured by bisulfite sequencing

Yue Hao  1 , Yanjun Cui  1 , Xianhong Gu  1
Affiliations

Genome-wide DNA methylation profiles changes associated with constant heat stress in pigs as measured by bisulfite sequencing

Yue Hao et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Heat stress affects muscle development and meat quality in food animals; however, little is known regarding its regulatory mechanisms at the epigenetic level, such as via DNA methylation. In this study, we aimed to compare the DNA methylation profiles between control and heat-stressed pigs to identify candidate genes for skeletal muscle development and meat quality. Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing was used to investigate the genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in the longissimus dorsi muscles of the pigs. Both groups showed similar proportions of methylation at CpG sites but exhibited different proportions at non-CpG sites. A total of 57,147 differentially methylated regions were identified between the two groups, which corresponded to 1,422 differentially methylated genes. Gene ontogeny and KEGG pathway analyses indicated that these were mainly involved in energy and lipid metabolism, cellular defense and stress responses, and calcium signaling pathways. This study revealed the global DNA methylation pattern of pig muscle between normal and heat stress conditions. The result of this study might contribute to a better understanding of epigenetic regulation in pig muscle development and meat quality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Comparison of DNA methylation patterns in the two groups.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Density plot of 5-methylcytosine in various sequence contexts (mCG, mCHG, and mCHH).
mC signifies 5-methylcytosine. H = A, C, or T. Chromosome numbers and scales are indicated on the periphery.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Sequence preferences for methylation in CG, CHG, and CHH contexts.
Logos of sequence contexts that are preferentially methylated at the highest or lowest levels for 9-mer sequences in which the methylated cytosine is in the fourth position. (A) Regions of high methylation. (B) Regions of low methylation.
Figure 4
Figure 4. DNA methylation levels of different functional regions between the Longissimus dorsi muscles of the two groups.
(A) CG regions. (B) CHG regions. (C) CHH regions. H = A, C, or T.
Figure 5
Figure 5. The distribution of DMR regions.
DMR, differentially methylated region.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Methylation levels of DMRs in different groups.
Boxes, quartiles 25–75%; black lines within boxes, median of the distribution (quartile 50%). DMR, differentially methylated region. HE, heat-exposed group. CN, control group.
Figure 7
Figure 7. Numbers of genes that were differentially expressed in the two groups.
DMG, differentially methylated gene; DEG, differentially expressed gene.
Figure 8
Figure 8. Association analysis of DMGs and DEGs.
DEGs were divided into highly and lowly regulated types, according to their gene expression level. For each type of gene, methylation levels were analyzed in five functional element regions. (A) Highly regulated genes. (B) Lowly regulated genes. DEG, differentially expressed gene; DMG, differentially methylated gene. HE, heat-exposed group. CN, control group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. St-Pierre C. B. & Schnitkey G. Economic Losses from Heat Stress by US Livestock Industries. J. Dairy Sci. 86, E52–E77 (2003).
    1. Quinteiro-Filho W. M. et al. Heat stress impairs performance parameters, induces intestinal injury, and decreases macrophage activity in broiler chickens. Poult. Sci. 89, 1905–1914 (2010). - PubMed
    1. Patience J., Umboh J., Chaplin R. & Nyachoti C. Nutritional and physiological responses of growing pigs exposed to a diurnal pattern of heat stress. Livest. Prod. Sci. 96, 205–214 (2005).
    1. Kamanga-Sollo E., Pampusch M. S., White M. E., Hathaway M. R. & Dayton W. R. Effects of heat stress on proliferation, protein turnover, and abundance of heat shock protein messenger ribonucleic acid in cultured porcine muscle satellite cells. J. Anim. Sci. 89, 3473–3480 (2011). - PubMed
    1. Mustafi S. B., Chakraborty P. K., Dey R. S. & Raha S. Heat stress upregulates chaperone heat shock protein 70 and antioxidant manganese superoxide dismutase through reactive oxygen species (ROS), p38MAPK, and Akt. Cell Stress Chaperone 14, 579–589 (2009). - PMC - PubMed

Publication types