ROSEpigs

The ROSEpigs project, for Regulation of Satiety and Epigenetic mechanisms in pigs, is funded by the Animal Genetics department of INRAE. It aims at kick-starting a new field of investigation within the laboratory, is order to prepare oncoming future projects. ROSEpigs is divided into two parts. First we will analyse the transcriptome and methylome of the duodenal mucosa in pigs without food access for 12 hours or with a 2 hours unrestricted access two food right after a 12 hours period without food access. This will allow us to characterise the transcriptional changes triggered by a short feed intake. This study will be done in two divergent lines of Large White pigs selected on a feed efficiency criteria: one line with high feed efficiency, the other with low feed efficiency.

Second, we will try to modulate the expression of selected genes involved in the regulation of hunger and satiety in IPEC-1 and IPEC-J2 (IPEC: Intestinal Pig Epithelial Cells), using epigenetic editing tools based on CRISPR-Cas9. We hope to be able to induce sustained repression of selected genes in cell lines, without having to edit the genome but by inducing targeted DNA methylations.