Lab of Pig Genetics and Breeding

The dynamic interactions between noncoding regulatory elements and polygenes shaped by the three-dimensional (3D) organization of chromosomes provide adequate explanations for the molecular basis of muscle growth. Our group closely aligned with 'multi-omics and big data analysis for the development of efficient and precise breeding technology' , with a focus on the potential effects of genomic variations on the disruption of chromatin organization thus regulating gene transcription.

We aim to explore breed-specific genomic variations between the Chinese and Western pig breeds which showed distinguished phenotype, using the high-depth genome resequencing, and identify and screen non-coding region variations related to skeletal muscle growth. We will decipher the rules of chromatin interaction in the skeletal muscles of different pig breeds at different growth stages, and, in combination with variant information, to screen for critical variations that lead to changes in chromatin conformation. Furthermore, we create cell atlas for skeletal muscles at different growth stages. Combined with single-cell chromatin

accessibility and the spatial transcription dynamics and precise spatial positioning, we explore the regulatory mechanisms of non-coding region variations related to skeletal muscle growth in myogenic cells.

We will further provide the functional and biological evidences for the candidate variations in porcine primary cell and based on the mouse model, as well as the gene edited pigs, and assess their potential applications in molecular breeding. We envision that our discoveries will provide new information from a non-coding region perspective to reveal the complex molecular mechanisms of muscle growth traits, providing a theoretical basis for the development of efficient pig breeding technology and precision improvement.