Zinc (Zn) is an essential mineral and its deficiency manifests in non-specific clinical signs that require long time to develop. The response of swine intestine to Zn restriction was evaluated to identify early changes that can be indicative of Zn deficiency. Twenty-seven pigs (body weight = 77⋅5 ± 2⋅5 kg) were assigned to one of three diets: diet without added Zn (Zn-restricted diet, ZnR), and ZnR-supplemented with either 50 (Zn50) or 100 mg of Zn/kg of diet (Zn100) of Zn supplied by ZnCl2. After 32 d consuming the diets, serum Zn concentration in ZnR pigs was below the range of 0⋅59–1⋅37 μg/ml considered sufficient, thereby confirming subclinical Zn deficiency. Pigs showed no obvious health or growth changes. RNA-seq analysis followed by qPCR showed decreased expression of metallothionein-1 (MT1) (P < 0⋅05) and increased expression of Zn transporter ZIP4 (P < 0⋅05) in jejunum and ileum of ZnR pigs compared with Zn-supplemented pigs. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed that Zn50 and Zn100 induced changes in genes related to nucleotide excision repair and integrin signalling pathways. The top gene network in the ZnR group compared with Zn100 was related to lipid and drug metabolism; and compared with Zn50, was related to cellular proliferation, assembly and organisation. Dietary Zn concentrations resulted in differences in genes related to immune pathways. Our analysis showed that small intestine presents changes associated with Zn deficiency after 32 d of Zn restriction, suggesting that the intestine could be a sentinel organ for Zn deficiency.

The aim of the present study was to analyse the sequence variability of the porcine Zip4-like Zn transporter gene and the association of identified sequence variants with average daily gain, apparent Zn absorption, plasma Zn concentration and Zn concentration in the liver and pancreas. For the purpose of the study, two different sample sets were used. Set one, which was used for sequencing and association analysis, included mRNA from intestinal tissue from thirty-five piglets of a feeding trial. Sample set two consisted of forty-six samples of genomic DNA from sperm or tissue of wild boars and several pig breeds and was used to genotype animals of different breeds. The sequence analysis of porcine Zip4-like complementary DNA in sample set one revealed the presence of seven nucleotide substitutions. Of these, six were synonymous, whereas a substitution of A with C in exon IX (XM_001925360 c.1430A>C) causes an amino acid exchange from glutamic acid to alanine (p.Glu477Ala). The association analysis revealed no influence of the six synonymous substitutions on Zn values, but the non-synonymous nucleotide exchange significantly increased Zn concentration in the pancreas and apparent Zn absorption of the piglets in week 2 of the feeding trial. The parentage of the piglets and the genotyping results in sample set two suggest a breed-specific presence of the A allele in Piétrain for this amino acid substitution. These results indicate that genotype influences the Zn absorption abilities of individual animals, which should be taken into consideration in animal breeding as well as for the selection of experimental animals.