Multi-omics insights into functional alterations of the liver in growth-retarded offspring: transcriptomic, epigenetic and metabolomic profiles

作者：Qun Lan, Sui Liufu, Xin Xu, Bohe Chen, Wenwu Chen, Kaiming Wang, Caihong Liu, Lanlin Xiao, Xiaolin Liu, Yi Lei, Jingwen Liu, Qiuchun Deng, Haiming Ma, Meng Kang · 发表于：BMC Genomics · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s12864-025-11896-0 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Birth, Development, and Health、Infant Nutrition and Health、Digestive system and related health

BACKGROUND: Growth retardation is a globally prevalent clinical issue, particularly in preterm offspring. It frequently occurs during the early postnatal development of piglets and results in high mortality. In addition to slow postnatal growth caused by complications from immature organs, these offspring are also at risk of facing significant long-term health challenges in adulthood. The liver plays a crucial role in regulating nutrient metabolism and immune function and frequently communicates with other organs to maintain overall health. However, the multifaceted mechanisms by which the liver regulates growth retardation in offspring remain largely unexplored. RESULTS: Here, we selected piglets exhibiting extreme weight variations at both birth and weaning stages for comprehensive histomorphological and multi-omics analysis in the liver. Compared to high weaning weight (HWW) piglets, the liver of low weaning weight (LWW) piglets was predominantly characterized by hepatic vacuolation and structural lesions. Transcriptomic analysis of the liver indicated that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) linked to amino acid metabolism (IDO1, DAO, and UROC1) and innate immune (ISG15, RSAD2, and IFIT1) showed significant upregulation in the high birth weight (HBW) piglets when compared to the low birth weight (LBW) piglets. Furthermore, DEGs identified at the weaning stage are primarily enriched in PPAR signaling pathway, protein digestion and absorption, glutathione metabolism, tryp...