A comprehensive profile of microRNAs in the backfat tissue from castrated and intact full-sib pair male pigs

Castration in male pig can decrease unpleasant odor for pork. However, it also results in unwilling fat deposition. In this study, we compared the regulation pattern of adipogenesis and fat deposition between castrated and intact male pigs for expanding the repertoire of porcine fat-related microRNAs (miRNAs). The high-throughput SOLiD sequencing approach was adopted to identify and characterize miRNAs in the backfat from intact and castrated male pigs at 23-weeks-of-age.