A spatiotemporal single‐cell atlas of porcine development reveals regulatory dynamics and cellular targets of domestication
5 affiliations
- 1College of Agriculture and Biology Liaocheng University Liaocheng China
- 2The State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Beijing China
- 3Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genomics Institute at Shenzhen Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Shenzhen China
- 4Glbizzia Biosciences Co. Ltd Beijing China
- 5MOA Key Laboratory of Animal Virology, Center for Veterinary Sciences, College of Animal Sciences Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
Abstract
Systematic characterization of cellular gene expression in livestock tissues during development is essential for understanding the regulation of complex traits. Despite the comprehensive profiling of cell atlases in livestock, a dynamic view of tissue development remains lacking. Here, using both single‐cell and single‐nucleus RNA sequencing, we present a comprehensive single‐cell transcriptomic landscape of 252,033 cells/nuclei, mapping 83 distinct cell types across five pig tissues from prenatal to postnatal developmental stages. Our findings highlight the coordinated remodeling of tissue architecture through stem/progenitor cell proliferation, lineage specification, and functional maturation during organogenesis. We identified key transcription factors and regulatory networks that drive lineage‐specific and spatiotemporally dynamic transcriptional programs. Developmental trajectory analysis identified a conserved bifurcated transcriptional organization of immune cells, accompanied by dynamic changes in transcription factors associated with immune cell maturation. Integrative analysis utilizing multi‐omic, single‐cell, and pig population genomics data identified a muscle‐specific enhancer of the MYOT gene as a target of artificial selection, underlying meat‐quality divergence between Asian and European pig breeds. Moreover, cross‐species comparison between pigs and humans revealed conserved cell types, underscoring the evolutionary link. In summary, the comprehensive pig developmental cell atlas serves as a key resource for understanding livestock development, provides insights for precision breeding, and highlights the value of the reference pig cell atlas as a powerful resource for biomedical research.
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BibTeX
@article{zhou2026spatiotemporal,
title = {{A spatiotemporal single‐cell atlas of porcine development reveals regulatory dynamics and cellular targets of domestication}},
author = {R J Zhou and Zishuai Wang and Chenghao Hu and Shuhan Deng and Changyun Cai and Yue Wang and Shang‐Tong Li and Lijing Bai and Kui Li},
journal = {iMeta},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1002/imt2.70135},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/imt2.70135},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A spatiotemporal single‐cell atlas of porcine development reveals regulatory dynamics and cellular targets of domestication
AU - R J Zhou
AU - Zishuai Wang
AU - Chenghao Hu
AU - Shuhan Deng
AU - Changyun Cai
AU - Yue Wang
AU - Shang‐Tong Li
AU - Lijing Bai
AU - Kui Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/01
JO - iMeta
DO - 10.1002/imt2.70135
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/imt2.70135
AB - Systematic characterization of cellular gene expression in livestock tissues during development is essential for understanding the regulation of complex traits. Despite the comprehensive profiling of cell atlases in livestock, a dynamic view of tissue development remains lacking. Here, using both single‐cell and single‐nucleus RNA sequencing, we present a comprehensive single‐cell transcriptomic landscape of 252,033 cells/nuclei, mapping 83 distinct cell types across five pig tissues from prenatal to postnatal developmental stages. Our findings highlight the coordinated remodeling of tissue architecture through stem/progenitor cell proliferation, lineage specification, and functional maturation during organogenesis. We identified key transcription factors and regulatory networks that drive lineage‐specific and spatiotemporally dynamic transcriptional programs. Developmental trajectory analysis identified a conserved bifurcated transcriptional organization of immune cells, accompanied by dynamic changes in transcription factors associated with immune cell maturation. Integrative analysis utilizing multi‐omic, single‐cell, and pig population genomics data identified a muscle‐specific enhancer of the MYOT gene as a target of artificial selection, underlying meat‐quality divergence between Asian and European pig breeds. Moreover, cross‐species comparison between pigs and humans revealed conserved cell types, underscoring the evolutionary link. In summary, the comprehensive pig developmental cell atlas serves as a key resource for understanding livestock development, provides insights for precision breeding, and highlights the value of the reference pig cell atlas as a powerful resource for biomedical research.
SN - 2770-596X
SN - 2770-5986
ER -