Identification of Novel Genes and Variations Associated to Glycolytic Potential Based on Pig Model

In livestock, glycolytic potential (GP) is a critical indicator for evaluating the meat quality. To date, two major genes protein kinase AMP-activated γ3 non-catalytic subunit gene ( PRKAG3 ) and phosphorylase kinase catalytic subunit gamma 1 ( PHKG1 ), and corresponding cause mutations influencing GP have been confirmed in pigs. Therefore, the aim of this study to identify the novel candidate genes and variations related to GP-related traits using a four-hybrid pig model [Pietrain (P)× Duroc (D)] ×[(Landrace) ×(Yorkshire)]. We totally constructed six RNA-seq libraries using longissimus dorsi (LD) muscles, and each library contained two higher GP (H) or two lower GP (L) individuals. A total of 525, 698 and 135 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between H11 vs L11, H9 vs L9, and H5 vs L5 groups using PossionDis method, respectively. Notably, we found 97 non-redundant DEGs were mapped to GP related QTLs from three paired comparison groups. Moreover, 69 DEGs were identified between H (H11, H9 and H5) and L (L11, L9 and L5) groups using NOIseq method. Additionally, 1,076 potential specific SNPs were figured out between H and L groups, and approximately 40 large Indels with a length ≥ 5bp were identified in each sequencing library. In conclusion, our data provide foundation for further confirming the key genes and the functional mutations affecting GP-related traits in pigs, and also pave the way for elucidating the underling molecular regulatory mechanisms of glycogen metabolism in future study. Moreover, this study might provide valuable information for study on human glycogen storage diseases.