Weaning Induces Stress-Dependent DNA Methylation and Transcriptional Changes in Piglet PBMCs.

ABSTRACT: Changes to the epigenome, including those to DNA methylation, have been proposed as mechanisms by which stress can induce long-term physiological changes in livestock species. Pig weaning is associated with dietary and social stress, both of which elicit an immune response and changes to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. While differential methylation following stress has been assessed in model organisms, it remains poorly understood how the pig methylome is altered by stressors in production settings. We quantified changes in CpG methylation and transcript abundance in piglet peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) following weaning and also assessed differential patterns in pigs exhibiting high and low stress response as measured by cortisol concentration and lesion score

SUBMITTER: Corbett RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7893110 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature