The Wuzhishan pig is a breed of

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...

miniature pig Miniature Pigs, also called mini pig, or Pygmy pig, are small breeds of domestic pig, such as the Vietnamese Pot-Bellied pig, Göttingen minipig, Juliana pig, Choctaw hog, or Kunekune (and specimens derived by crossbreeding these breeds). Mini ...

created by Professor Feng Shutang to be used as a model animal for medical research.

Physical description

The Wuzhishan pig grows up to a size of 50-70 cm (19.7-27.5 inches) long, and up to 30-35 kilograms in weight. They have a black head and back, and pink legs and bellies. Additionally, the Wuzhishan pig is often used to study the

cardiovascular system The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...

in humans, due to the similarity of the pig's

organs In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a f ...

to those of a

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

Genetic research

The full

genome sequence In the fields of molecular biology and genetics, a genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding gen ...

and analysis was completed by

BGI Group BGI Group, formerly Beijing Genomics Institute, is a Chinese genomics company with headquarters in Yantian District, Shenzhen. The company was originally formed in 1999 as a genetics research center to participate in the Human Genome Project. It ...

in 2012; the breed was successfully identified in early 2013. The

intellectual property rights Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

for the breed are protected by both Chinese and American patents. On May 18, 2015, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences announced that its Institute of Animal Science had agreed to transfer all breeding research to Beijing Grand Life Science & Technology Co., Ltd., which has the sole rights to breed and sell Wuzhishan pigs for commercial purposes. On November 19, 2016, the company successfully produced a litter of eight inbred piglets of F25 (the 25th generation), with an

inbreeding coefficient The coefficient of inbreeding of an individual is the probability that two alleles at any locus in an individual are identical by descent from the common ancestor(s) of the two parents. The coefficient of inbreeding is: The probability that two ...

of 0.995. Over 12 leading Chinese research institutions, medical schools, hospitals, and enterprises have conducted or are conducting research into the Wuzhishan pigs with an aim to establish their suitability as research models. Additional research on the future

life science Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy t ...

and medical applications of the pigs has begun, and the initial results include the injection of

embryonic Embryonic may refer to: *Of or relating to an embryo * ''Embryonic'' (album), a 2009 studio album by the Flaming Lips *''Embryonics ''Embryonics'' is a double-CD compilation of tracks by the Australian progressive metal band, Alchemist. It w ...

germ cells Germ or germs may refer to: Science * Germ (microorganism), an informal word for a pathogen * Germ cell, cell that gives rise to the gametes of an organism that reproduces sexually * Germ layer, a primary layer of cells that forms during embr ...

into

blastocysts The blastocyst is a structure formed in the early embryonic development of mammals. It possesses an inner cell mass (ICM) also known as the ''embryoblast'' which subsequently forms the embryo, and an outer layer of trophoblast cells called the t ...

, as well as i slet isolation and purification. On June 23, 2017, the

Academy of Military Medical Sciences The Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS) of the PLA Academy of Military Science () is a Chinese military medical research institute. It was established in Shanghai in 1951. It has been based in Beijing since 1958. In October 2011 the drug ...

and Grand Life Science jointly announced that the PERV-pol gene-deficient WZSP have been identified and verified by systematic

virology Virology is the Scientific method, scientific study of biological viruses. It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on their detection, structure, classification and evolution, their methods of infection and exploitation of host (biology), ...

methods and whole genome sequencing. Grand Life has succeed in reproducing F0/F1 PERV-noninfectious WZSP pigs that available for advanced biomedical research purposes,中国实验动物信息网，http://www.lascn.net/Item/28132.aspx including a series of studies under the 2017-2020 National Primary Research Programs on bio-material development, tissue-organ repair, and

xenotransplantation Xenotransplantation (''xenos-'' from the Greek meaning "foreign" or strange), or heterologous transplant, is the transplantation of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another. Such cells, tissues or organs are called xenograft ...

that was commissioned by the

Ministry of Science and Technology of China The Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, formerly the State Science and Technology Commission, is the central government ministry which coordinates science and technology activities in the country. The office is ...

References

{{Reflist Pig breeds originating in China Pig breeds Inbred animals