Transcriptome profile of Min pig muscle response to cold stress

• Cold stress significantly alters gene transcription in pig muscle tissue • Cold stress changes some biological pathways of pig muscle • Pig muscle resist cold stress by altering vesicle transport Cold stress is a common natural disaster in livestock and poultry breeding. It suppresses growth, immunity, and other functions, and may even cause death. Although skeletal muscle is the main thermogenic organ for cold stress in pigs, the molecular mechanisms of muscle for cold stress responses are still unclear. To understand the molecular regulatory mechanisms involved in cold stress responses, the complete transcriptome profile of skeletal muscle from Min pigs exposed to cold stress (CS group) was compared with controls (RT group) using second-generation sequencing and bioinformatics analyses. The differentially regulated mRNAs and ncRNAs in the CS group included 711 mRNAs, 179 lncRNAs, 127 circRNAs, and 32 miRNAs. These led to multiple biological pathways happen changing, including proteasome, protein digestion and absorption, nervous system, and immune system. At the same time, the relationship between lncRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs with endogenous competition had also changed. Three ceRNA networks involved in vesicle transport, antioxidant stress, and regulation of muscle cell function were discovered. These results discovered the transcriptional regulation mechanism of genes in Min pig muscle under cold stress, providing a theoretical basis for coping with low-temperature disasters in pig production and cultivating new cold-resistant varieties.