Figure 4 shows the overlap of the three lists of genes ((List1), (List2), and (List3)). Twenty two genes are common between the three analyses: ABHD2, C3, C3AR1, C5AR1, CAPN3, CCDC47, CD163, CXCL13, DBN1, DGAT2, FAS, GYG1, HMOX1, NFAM1, PDXK, SELL, SERPING1, SOD2, TLR4, TNFRSF1A, TNFSF13B and TXNIP. Identification of genes common to all three analyses, which are known in literature to have an important role in chemotaxis, apoptosis, calcium ion transport and metabolism, confirms their roles in immunity and inflammation in pigs. These genes could further serve in a panel of tissue prognosis indicators of porcine immune response. IPA analysis showed that these genes form two functional networks, NW1 and NW2 (Table 3). The first functional network (NW1, Fig. 5) is related to infectious diseases, cellular movement, hematological system development and function, cell-to-cell signalling and interaction. These genes form a node connected to ESR1. This gene encodes the estrogen receptor 1, a ligand-activated transcription factor. Estrogen receptors are also involved in pathological processes including breast cancer, endometrial cancer, and osteoporosis . Among the genes that form these networks, two are particularly interesting, TLR4 and CD163. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signalling pathway is the essential member in TLRs family, which plays an important role in a variety of inflammatory reaction such as in diarrhoea and hydropsy of weaned piglets infected by pathogens . The TLR4 gene was described as one of the important immunological factors influencing for example the development of mycoplasma pneumonia of swine . TLR4 dysregulation promoted aberrant cytokine production in bacterial sepsis . Fig. 4Venn diagram showing DEG common to all lists of genes ((List1), (List12 and (List3); 22 DEG) Fig. 5Functional networks formed by the 22 DEG common to (List1), (List2) and (List3). NW1: related to infectious diseases, cellular movement, hematological system development and function, cell-to-cell signalling and interaction. NW2: related to cell death and survival, cellular development, cellular growth and proliferation Table 3Gene networks (NW) with commons DEG between the three lists of genes (in bold)NWGenes in networkGenes in present studyTop diseases and functions1 ABHD2 ∗, ALB, C3AR1, C5AR1, Calmodulin, CAPN3, CD163, DBN1, ESR1*, FAS, Gpcr, GPR158, IgG, ITPKA, NFAM1, PDXK, SELL, SERPING1, SMARCA4, SYK, TLR4, TNFR/Fas, TNFRSF1A, TREM1, YWHAZ 13Infectious Diseases, Cellular Movement, Hematological System Development and Function, Cell-To-Cell Signaling and Interaction2 2-methoxyestradiol, ABHD2 ∗, C3, Cbp/p300, CCDC47, CDKN1A, CXCL13, DGAT2, EGFR, EP300, ESR1*, GYG1, HMOX1, NR3C1, PPARG, SOD2, STAT1, TNFSF13B, TXNIP 10Cell Death and Survival, Cellular Development, Cellular Growth and Proliferation ABHD2 ∗ and ESR1 ∗ are common to both networks