Journal Article

The potential mechanism of MicroRNA involvement in the regulation of muscle development in weaned piglets by tryptophan and its metabolites

He, Tianle, Chen, Qingyun, Luo, Ju, Mao, Jiani, Ma, Dengjun, Yang, Zhenguo, Li, Huifeng

2025

Overview

Background Muscle development is a key factor influencing the growth performance of piglets. Optimizing this developmental process is crucial for enhancing breeding efficiency and economic profitability. Tryptophan (Trp) is considered one of the key limiting amino acids for weaned piglets, plays an essential role in regulating feed intake, growth, and muscle development. However, the regulatory mechanisms by which Trp and its derivatives influence muscle development in weaned piglets remain unclear. Methods The aim of this study was to investigate the regulatory pathways and potential mechanisms of Trp and its metabolites on muscle development in weaned piglets. In this study, 10 healthy castrated male piglets, 28 days old and weaned, were selected and randomly assigned to a control group (CON, 0.14% Trp) and a high tryptophan group (HT, 0.35% Trp), with 5 in each group. After a 7-day pre-feeding period, the formal feeding began, and after 28 days, the pigs were slaughtered and the longissimus dorsi muscles was collected for transcriptome sequencing. Results The results indicated that different dietary Trp levels led to the identification of sixteen differentially expressed microRNAs (DE miRNAs) in the longissimus dorsi muscle of the weaned piglets. Target gene functional enrichment analysis showed that these DE miRNAs are involved in muscle cell proliferation, differentiation, protein deposition, and muscle development through multiple biological pathways. Furthermore, we constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network for the target genes, with the enriched core gene cluster functions associated with cellular proliferation, signaling pathways, hormone release, and muscle development. Finally, qRT-PCR validated the reliability and accuracy of the RNA-seq results, revealing a correlation coefficient of 0.97 between the two methods. Conclusions This study uncovers the potential mechanisms by which miRNAs participate in the regulation of muscle development in weaned piglets mediated by Trp and its metabolites, providing a theoretical basis and practical guidance for optimizing piglet management and health improvement.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Amino acids / Animal development / Animal Genetics and Genomics / Animals / Anopheles / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Cell differentiation / Cell proliferation / Correlation coefficient / Correlation coefficients / Diet / Economics / Feeds / Gene Expression Profiling / Gene Regulatory Networks / Gene set enrichment analysis / Genes / Genetic aspects / Genetic research / Genomics of domestication / Glucose / Hogs / Hormone release / Influence / Life Sciences / Male / Metabolism / Metabolites / Microarrays / Microbial Genetics and Genomics / MicroRNA / MicroRNAs / MicroRNAs - genetics / MicroRNAs - metabolism / miRNA / Muscle development / Muscle Development - drug effects / Muscle Development - genetics / Muscle, Skeletal - growth & development / Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism / Muscles / Musculoskeletal system / Nutrition research / Physiological aspects / Plant Genetics and Genomics / Protein interaction / Protein synthesis / Protein-protein interactions / Proteins / Proteomics / Regulatory mechanisms (biology) / Swine / Swine - growth & development / Transcriptome / Transcriptomes / Tryptophan / Tryptophan - metabolism / Tryptophan - pharmacology / Weaned piglet / Weaning