Cis-regulatory variations underlie phenotypic differentiation between
Eastern and Western pigs
Abstract
The genetic underpinnings of phenotypic differentiation during animal
breeding has important implications in both evolutionary biology and
agriculture. However, how cis-regulatory variants influence pig
phenotypes is not well understood. Here, we present a high-resolution
phased chromosome-scale reference genome with contig N50 of 18.03 Mb for
Luchuan pig (a representative Eastern breed), and profiled potential
selective sweeps in Eastern and Western pigs by re-sequencing of 234
pigs. In these regions, multi-tissue transcriptome and chromatin
accessibility analyses suggest tissue-specific selection pressure
mediated through promoters and distal cis-regulatory elements. Promoter
variants associated with higher LYZ expression in the small intestine
might enhance pig gastrointestinal immunity and roughage tolerance. In
the skeletal muscles, an enhancer-modulating SNP associated with higher
TNNC1 expression might increase slow muscle fibers and affect meat
quality. Our work also provides valuable resources and new perspectives
to explore gene regulatory evolution in animal domestication and
breeding.