Blood transcriptomic differences in the immune response under stressful environmental according to stocking density in pigs

Abstract

The implementation of animal welfare in the pig industry is becoming a global trend, and welfare can be improved through livestock management. In modern and intensive farming systems, it has become important to find a reasonable compromise between stocking density and productivity. The simultaneous detection of behavioral and physiological parameters is helpful when considering welfare levels for stocking density. This study aimed to confirm the effect of stocking density through transcriptome linkage. A comparison of three groups according to stocking density (low density, eight pigs and 1.0 m2 per head; normal density, eight pigs and 0.8 m2 per head; and high density, eight pigs and 0.6 m2 per head) was performed, and their transcriptomic changes were observed using the RNA-Seq method. Differentially expressed genes were identified for each comparison group (low density vs. normal density, 95 upregulated genes and 112 downregulated genes; high density vs. normal density, 133 upregulated genes and 217 downregulated genes; and high density vs. low density, 245 upregulated genes and 237 downregulated genes). Biological mechanisms according to stocking density were identified through functional annotation. T-cell differentiation and immune disease pathway enriched in the high-density group caused immune imbalance through dysregulated T-cell signaling. Moreover, oxidative stress, together with DNA damage, can lead to high susceptibility to disease. Our study confirmed the biological mechanisms through immunological expression patterns according to stocking density. The study results are expected to provide comprehensive insight into systematic operation strategies considering stocking density and biomarkers for use in welfare evaluation.

Keywords: RNA-seq; immune response; porcine; stocking density; stress.