Sus scrofa scrofa Transcriptome or Gene expression

Animals used for this study belonged to a high intramuscular fat commercial Duroc pig line. The experiment was carried out with 48 contemporary female piglets born in 12 different litters (i.e. 12 groups of 4 littermates). After weaning (~4 weeks of age), these 48 piglets were transferred to the IRTA pig experimental farm in Monells (Girona, Spain), housed in transition devices and fed ad libitum a standard transition diet. At ~9 weeks of age animals were assigned to four dietary treatments (10 to 11 animals per treatment) and distributed in four different pens located in environmentally monitored facilities. Each sibling from a litter was assigned to a different treatment, so that piglets in one pen were full sibs of piglets in other pen. During the following 10 weeks animals were fed ad libitum four different diets (T1 to T4): T1) a conventional (and balanced) growth diet according to NRC (Nutrition Resource Centre) recommendations; T2) a western-type diet formulated with a high fat content and protein of animal origin (caseinate); T3) a western-type diet in which 50% of the protein was substituted by protein of vegetal origin (rice hydrolysate) and soft cheese including 5x1010 cfu/day Bifidobacterium breve probiotic (CECT8242); and T4) similar to T3 but adding omega-3 fatty acids to the diet (1 g stearidonic acid and 2 g docosahexaenoic acid per 100 g fat). Experimental diets were elaborated at the IRTA experimental mill in Mas de Bover (Tarragona, Spain); details about components and nutritive composition of diets are reported in Supplementary Tables S13 and S14, respectively.