Chengming Liu ^1* Haifeng Dan ^1* Yiting YANG ¹ Yong Du ^1* Ziling Hao ^1* Lei Chen ^1* Kangping Zhu ^2* Bin Liu ^2* Lili Niu ¹ Ye Zhao ¹ Yan Wang ^1* Linyuan Shen ¹ Mailin Gan ^1* Li Zhu ^1*

• ¹ Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China
• ² Sichuan Dekon Livestock Foodstuff Group, Chengdu 610200, China, Chengdu, China

Under long-term domestication in high-altitude environments, the gut microbiota of Tibetan Pig has undergone unique changes. To investigate specific changes in the intestinal flora of Tibetan Pigs, we employed 16S rRNA and metagenomic sequencing technologies for comprehensive analysis. By analyzing the data of 16S rRNA and metagenomics, we found that Tibetan Pigs raised under a "free-range + supplementary feeding" model exhibited increased abundance of microbial communities involved in short-chain fatty acid synthesis, cellulose, and hemicellulose digestion compared to the Yorkshire pig. The characteristic bacterium Rhodococcus, commonly found in high-altitude environments, is also enriched in the gut microbiota of Tibetan Pigs. This enrichment aids Tibetan Pigs in efficiently utilizing natural compounds and degrading toxic substances. Simultaneously, the increased abundance of probiotics endows Tibetan Pigs with enhanced immunity. However, based on functional prediction results, enhancing immunity can manifest through mechanisms such as destroying the structure of pathogenic bacteria or degrading and detoxifying harmful metabolites. These findings are instrumental for further exploring the advantages of Tibetan Pigs over common commercial breeds. They also facilitate the screening of additional potential probiotics, offering new avenues for variety improvement and genetic breeding strategies.