Heat Stress Induces Alterations in Gene Expression of Actin Cytoskeleton and Filament of Cellular Components Causing Gut Disruption in Growing–Finishing Pigs

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the impact of heat stress (HS) on the expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins and the interaction between genes affecting intestinal barrier function using transcriptomics in the porcine jejunum. Twenty-four barrows (crossbred Yorkshire × Landrace × Duroc; average initial body weight, 56.71 ± 1.74 kg) were placed in different temperatures (normal temperature [NT]; HS) and reared for 56 days. At the end of the experiment, jejunal samples were collected from three pigs per treatment for transcriptome and reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analyses. We identified 43 differentially expressed genes, involving five Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways, eight molecular functions, seven cellular components (CCs), and nine biological processes, using gene ontology enrichment analysis. Genes associated with the actin cytoskeleton, filament-binding pathways, and TJ proteins were selected and analyzed by RT-qPCR. Significant differences in relative mRNA expression showed that downregulated genes in the HS group included ZO1, CLDN1, OCLN, PCK1, and PCK2, whereas ACTG2, DES, MYL9, MYLK, TPM1, TPM2, CNN1, PDLIM3, and PCP4 were upregulated by HS (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that HS in growing-finishing pigs induces depression in gut integrity, which may be related to genes involved in the actin cytoskeleton and filaments of CC.