Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies the Crucial Candidate Genes for Teat Number in Crossbred Commercial Pigs
Author:
Yang Lijuan1, Li Xuehua1ORCID, Zhuang Zhanwei1, Zhou Shenping1, Wu Jie1, Xu Cineng1, Ruan Donglin1, Qiu Yibin1, Zhao Hua23, Zheng Enqin1, Cai Gengyuan14, Wu Zhenfang145, Yang Jie14ORCID
Affiliation:
1. College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China 2. National S&T Innovation Center for Modern Agricultural Industry, Guangzhou 510642, China 3. Key Laboratory of South China Modern Biological Seed Industry, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510642, China 4. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China 5. Yunfu Subcenter of Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Yunfu 527400, China
Abstract
The number of teats is a crucial reproductive trait with significant economic implications on maternal capacity and litter size. Consequently, improving this trait is essential to facilitate genetic selection for increased litter size. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the number of teats in a three-way crossbred commercial Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) (DLY) pig population comprising 1518 animals genotyped with the 50K BeadChip. Our analysis identified crucial quantitative trait loci (QTL) for the number of teats, containing the ABCD4 and VRTN genes on porcine chromosome 7. Our results establish SNP variants of ABCD4 and VRTN as new molecular markers for improving the number of teats in DLY pigs. Furthermore, the most significant noteworthy single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (7_97568284) was identified within the ABCD4 gene, exhibiting a significant association with the total teat number traits. This SNP accounted for a substantial proportion of the genetic variance, explaining 6.64% of the observed variation. These findings reveal a novel gene on SSC7 for the number of teats and provide a deeper understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying reproductive traits.
Funder
the Project of Agricultural Science and Technology Development and Resource and Environmental Protection Management from the Special Rural Revitalization Funds of Guangdong Province the Key Technologies R&D Program of Guangdong Province project the Project of Swine Innovation Team in the Guangdong Modern Agricultural Research System
Subject
General Veterinary,Animal Science and Zoology
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