Omics & gene networks

Profiling of Stage-Specific Cell Heterogeneity Based on Blood Transcriptome Data in Pigs

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Abstract

The immune system changes by growth stages in pigs, which may influence immune development and disease resilience. Blood is composed of various immune-related cells, and transcriptome-based cell-type deconvolution methods are useful for identifying changes in cell compositions. Here, we aimed to investigate immune developmental features in pigs by performing transcriptome-based cell deconvolution. Blood RNA-seq data were generated from three different developmental stages: weaning (n=3), growing (n=3), and finishing pigs (n=3). Immune cell-type enrichment scores were estimated using the xCell deconvolution method. In the principal component analysis of the cell-type enrichment profiles, weaning pigs were clustered separately from the growing and finishing pigs, indicating a distinct early-life immune state in weaning pigs. Weaning pigs showed enrichment of hematopoietic stem cells, monocytes, and basophils ( >4-fold increase, p < 0.05), indicating an early-life immune state characterized by active hematopoiesis and innate-dominated responses following weaning. Growing and finishing pigs showed increased enrichment of B cells and T cells, reflecting a shift toward a more mature, adaptive immunity-driven immune microenvironment. These findings demonstrate that peripheral immune cell heterogeneity in pigs undergoes structured and progressive development from weaning through finishing. Our results highlight blood cell-type deconvolution as an approach for delineating immune development and assessing physiological development in pigs.

Keywords: 2026

How to Cite:

Jeong, G., Han, J., Lim, C., Seo, Y., Lim, D., Kim, J. & Lim, K., (2026) “Profiling of Stage-Specific Cell Heterogeneity Based on Blood Transcriptome Data in Pigs”, World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production Digital Archive 2026(1): 2285370. doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/wcgalp.23661

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