The expression regulatory network in lung tissue of Tibetan pigs provides insight into the hypoxia-sensitive pathways of high-altitude hypoxia

We performed mRNA-seq and miRNA-seq and constructed coexpression regulatory networks in the lung tissues of Tibetan pigs and Landrace pigs. Pathways related to major regulators of hypoxia-induced genes, signal transduction and angiogenesis were enriched, including HIF-1, PI3K-Akt, mTOR and AMPK. HBB, AGT, COL1A2 and EPHX1 were identified as key genes that regulate blood pressure and circulation. AHSP, HBB, HP, VEGF, and ANG may promote hemoglobin binding and angiogenesis for high-altitude adaptation in Tibetan pigs. These findings provide a comprehensive perspective on hypoxia-adaptive genes in the lungs and insight into potential candidate genes in Tibetan pigs for further research in the field of high-altitude adaptation.

本研究对藏猪与长白猪的肺组织开展了mRNA测序（mRNA-seq）与miRNA测序（miRNA-seq），并构建了共表达调控网络。经富集分析，得到与低氧诱导基因主要调控因子、信号转导及血管生成相关的通路，包括缺氧诱导因子-1（HIF-1）、磷脂酰肌醇3-激酶-蛋白激酶B（PI3K-Akt）、雷帕霉素靶蛋白（mTOR）以及腺苷酸活化蛋白激酶（AMPK）。研究鉴定出血红蛋白亚基β（HBB）、血管紧张素原（AGT）、Ⅰ型胶原α2链（COL1A2）与微粒体环氧化物水解酶1（EPHX1）为调控血压与血液循环的关键基因。α-血红蛋白稳定蛋白（AHSP）、HBB、结合珠蛋白（HP）、血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）与血管生成素（ANG）可能通过促进血红蛋白结合与血管生成，协助藏猪适应高海拔环境。本研究结果为肺组织内的低氧适应基因提供了全面研究视角，同时为藏猪高海拔适应领域的后续研究提供了潜在候选基因的研究思路。