Feed efficiency (FE) is an important trait affecting costs in swine industry. Investigation on FE-related genes in different tissues is valuable for molecular breeding. Hypothalamus is a convergent and integrated centre for multiple nutrient-related signals. The present study identified 363 differentially expressed (DE) genes and 14 DE lincRNAs in the hypothalamus of high- and low-FE Yorkshire pigs. Furthermore, 983 significantly correlated DE gene-lincRNA pairs were identified through weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and Pearson correlation analysis. These DE genes were primarily enriched in the neuronal signal transduction process containing the upregulated genes of VIPR1, CCR1, CCR5, LEPR, INSR, ADRA1A, CCKAR, and ADORA3 and the downregulated genes of GRM1, GRM4, GRM5, and VIPR2, which were located in the cell membrane. These signal receptors were mainly connected to downstream Jak-STAT signaling that involved the increased genes (JAK2, STAT3, and POMC) and mTOR signaling pathway, including the decreased genes (CAMKK2, AMPK, and MTOR). STAT3 and AMPK genes also played a role in two major hypothalamic neurons of POMC and NPY/AGRP. A total of eight DE lincRNAs also participated in the potential network. In conclusion, neuronal signaling transduction-involved genes and lincRNAs were related to FE variation in pig hypothalamus.

Leucocytes have tremendous health-check importance related to the individual antiviral capacity of pigs and other mammals. However, the molecular mechanism of the immune response of blood leucocytes in pigs is not completely known. This study investigated the leucocyte-count variation before and after poly I:C stimulation in a Duroc-Erhualian F2 population. Pigs with increased and decreased differences in leucocyte counts were coded as increased responder (IR) and decreased responder (DR), respectively. Then, we used microarray technology to compare the gene-expression profiles of both groups of pigs. Transcriptomic analysis identified 129 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in IR pigs and 136 DEGs in DR pigs. Forty-one common DEGs showed that both groups had similar expression patterns of immune responses. These results illustrated a differential expression in both groups. Furthermore, qPCR experiment was performed to verify the differential-expression profile. Functional annotation of the DEGs indicated that both IR and DR pigs were similar in several biological processes, including innate immune response, and also exhibited distinct differences in biological processes, molecular function, and pathways. These results provided insights into the mechanism underlying the antiviral capacity of pigs. Trial registration number is CAS Registry Number 24939-03-5.