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The immune function of the intestinal mucosa plays a crucial role in the intestinal health of hosts. As signaling molecules and precursors of metabolic reactions, intestinal chyme metabolites are instrumental in maintaining host immune homeostasis. Saba (SB) pigs, a unique local pig species in central Yunnan Province, China. However, research on jejunal metabolites in this species is limited. Here, we used immunohistochemistry and untargeted metabolomics by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to study differences in jejunal immunophenotypes and metabolites between six Landrace (LA) and six SB piglets (35 days old). The results showed that the levels of the anti-inflammatory factor interleukin 10 (IL-10) were markedly higher in SB piglets than in LA piglets (P < 0.01), while the levels of the proinflammatory factors IL-6, IL-1β, and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR-2) were markedly lower (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the levels of mucin 2 (MUC2) and zona occludens (ZO-1), which are related to mucosal barrier function, were significantly higher in SB piglets than in LA piglets (P < 0.01), as were villus height, villus height/crypt depth ratio, and goblet cell number (P < 0.05). Differences in jejunal chyme metabolic patterns were observed between the two piglets. In the negative ion mode, cholic acid metabolites ranked in the top 20 and represented 25% of the total. Taurodeoxycholic acid (TDCA) content was significantly higher in SB piglets than in LA piglets (P < 0.01). TDCA positively correlated with ZO-1, villus height, villus height/crypt depth ratio, and goblet cell number. These results suggest that SB pigs have a strong jejunal immune function and that TDCA was positively regulates jejunal immunity and mucosal barrier function. Our findings provide a reference for understanding intestinal immune function in different pig breeds and for the discovery of potential biomarkers to help solve health issues related to pig production.

With the improvement of consumers' requirements for pork quality, the method of crossbreeding with excellent local pig breeds to improve meat quality is popular. Saba pig has high reproduction rate, good meat quality and high utilization rate of roughage, but its excellent characteristics have not been fully developed and utilized. To promote the development and utilization of Saba pigs and production of high-quality pork, the meat quality traits and glycolysis potential of Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) (DLY), Berkshire × (Duroc × Saba) (BDS), and Duroc × (Berkshire × Saba) (DBS) three-way crossbred pigs were compared. The results showed that DLY had the highest live weight, carcass weight, lean meat percentage, drip loss, glycolysis potential, muscle diameter, and relative mRNA expression levels of type IIb muscle fibers as well as the lowest ultimate pH (p < 0.05). The lightness value of DBS was the highest (p < 0.05). Among the three crossbred pigs, myristic, arachidic, palmitoleic, and eicosenoic acids were the highest in BDS. These results indicated that the carcass traits of local crossbred pigs were worse than those of DLY pigs, but meat quality was markedly higher, with BDS showing the best meat quality.

The pig intestinal microbiota perform multiple physiological functions during the lifespan of the host. Host genetics is considered a major factor shaping the intestinal microbiota. This study explored the jejunal microbial diversity and potential functional differences between Dahe (DH) and Diannan small-ear (DS) pigs, two important native Chinese breeds with different growth characteristics. Nine piglets of each breed (DH and DS) were fed sow milk until the age of 35 days. Jejunal chyme samples were collected for 16S rRNA sequencing. The birth weight, final body weight at day 35, and average daily gain tended to increase more in DH piglets than in DS piglets. The jejunal microbial Shannon index was also higher in DH piglets than in DS piglets (P < 0.05). At the genus level, the relative abundances of Clostridium XI, Clostridium sensu stricto, Turicibacter, Megasphaera, Veillonella, Mitsuokella, and Selenomonas in DH pigs were higher than those in DS individuals, whereas Streptophyta, Enterococcus, Lactococcus, and Weissella were lower in DH pigs than in DS pigs (P < 0.05). Furthermore, linear discriminant effect size analyses revealed 25 differential bacterial taxa between DH and DS piglets. Spearman's analysis found that Enterococcus was negatively correlated with final body weight (P = 0.025, r = -0.56) and average daily gain (P = 0.034, r = -0.53), while average daily gain was positively correlated with Clostridium XI (P = 0.01, r = 0.63) and Mitsuokella (P =0.007, r = 0.64). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes annotation identified eight functional categories related to amino acids and energy metabolism in DH piglets, while three categories were related to lipid metabolism in DS piglets. Our findings suggest that DH pigs have higher microbial diversity, while DS pigs may have higher fat deposition ability.

Objective The intestinal microbiota plays an important role in host physiology, metabolism, immunity, and behavior. And host genetics could influence the gut microbiota of hybrid animals. The three-way cross model is commonly utilized in commercial pig production; however, the use of this model to analyse the gut microbial composition is rarely reported. Methods Two three-way hybrid pigs were selected, with Saba pigs as the starting maternal pig: Duroc× (Berkshire×Saba) (DBS) pig, Berkshire×(Duroc×Saba) (BDS) pig. One hundred pigs of each model were reared from 35 days (d) to 210 d. The body weight or feed consumption of all pigs were recorded and their feed/gain (F/G) ratio was calculated. On day 210, 10 pigs from each three-way cross were selected for slaughter, and cecal chyme samples were collected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results The final body weight (FBW) and average daily gain (ADG) of DBS pigs were significantly higher than those of BDS pigs (p0.05). At the genus level, the abundance of Prevotella, Roseburia, and Anaerovibrio in DBS pigs was significantly lower than in BDS pigs (p