Developmental Changes of Immunity and Different Responses to Weaning Stress of Chinese Indigenous Piglets and Duroc Piglets during Suckling and Weaning Periods.

To investigate developmental changes in immunity and different responses to weaning stress of piglets from different breeds during suckling and weaning periods, a total of 30 litters of Taoyuan black (TB) piglets, Xiangcun black (XB) piglets, and Duroc (DR) piglets (ten litters per breed) were selected at 1, 10, 21, and 24 days of age, respectively. The results showed that the liver index of TB piglets was higher at 10 days of age than that of the other days of age and breeds. Regardless of the days of age, TB and XB piglets had a higher plasma IgA level and lower ileal IgM level than in the DR piglets, and XB piglets had a lower plasma IgG level than the other breeds. TB and XB piglets had a higher IL-6 level and lower IL-17 level in plasma at 24 days of age than DR piglets, regardless of the days of age. The ileal levels of IL-2, IL-10, IFN-γ, and TNF-α were lower in the TB and XB piglets at 24 days of age than in the DR piglets. The ileal expression levels of IRAK1, CD14, MyD88, and NF-κB were down-regulated in the TB and XB piglets at 24 days of age compared to those in the DR piglets. These findings suggest that there were differences in the development of immune function among different pig breeds. Moreover, TB and XB piglets presented stronger resistance to weaning stress than the DR piglets, which may be related to the immune regulation mediated by the MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Taoyuan Black pig.

Taoyuan Black pig is the native breed of Hunan province in China. In this study, the complete nucleotide sequence of Taoyuan Black pig mitochondrial genome was first determined. Sequence analysis showed that the genome structure was in accordance with other pig breeds. It contained 22 tRNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes and 1 control region (D-loop region). The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the Taoyuan Black pig provides an important data set for further study on genetic mechanism.