Gao Xin, Zhou Shenping, Liu Zhihong, Ruan Donglin, Wu Jie, Quan Jianping, Zheng Enqin, Yang Jie, Cai Gengyuan, Wu Zhenfang, Yang Ming
College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China.
College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Dec 21;14(1):37. doi: 10.3390/ani14010037.
The pig bone weight trait holds significant economic importance in southern China. To expedite the selection of the pig bone weight trait in pig breeding, we conducted molecular genetic research on these specific traits. These traits encompass the bone weight of the scapula (SW), front leg bone weight (including humerus and ulna) (FLBW), hind leg bone weight (including femur and tibia) (HLBW), and spine bone weight (SBW). Up until now, the genetic structure related to these traits has not been thoroughly explored, primarily due to challenges associated with obtaining the phenotype data. In this study, we utilized genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to discern single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genes associated with four bone weight traits within a population comprising 571 Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) hybrid pigs (DLY). In the analyses, we employed a mixed linear model, and for the correction of multiple tests, both the false discovery rate and Bonferroni methods were utilized. Following functional annotation, candidate genes were identified based on their proximity to the candidate sites and their association with the bone weight traits. This study represents the inaugural application of GWAS for the identification of SNPs associated with individual bone weight in DLY pigs. Our analysis unveiled 26 SNPs and identified 12 promising candidate genes (, , , , , , , , , , , and ) associated with the four bone weight traits. Furthermore, our findings on the genetic mechanisms influencing pig bone weight offer valuable insights as a reference for the genetic enhancement of pig bone traits.
猪骨重量性状在中国南方具有重要的经济意义。为了加快猪育种中猪骨重量性状的选择，我们对这些特定性状进行了分子遗传学研究。这些性状包括肩胛骨骨重（SW）、前腿骨重（包括肱骨和尺骨）（FLBW）、后腿骨重（包括股骨和胫骨）（HLBW）和脊椎骨重（SBW）。到目前为止，与这些性状相关的遗传结构尚未得到充分探索，主要是由于获取表型数据存在挑战。在本研究中，我们利用全基因组关联研究（GWAS）在一个由571头杜洛克×（长白×大白）杂交猪（DLY）组成的群体中识别与四个骨重性状相关的单核苷酸多态性（SNP）和基因。在分析中，我们采用了混合线性模型，并且为了校正多重检验，使用了错误发现率和Bonferroni方法。经过功能注释后，根据候选位点的邻近性及其与骨重性状的关联来鉴定候选基因。本研究代表了GWAS首次应用于鉴定DLY猪个体骨重相关的SNP。我们的分析揭示了26个SNP，并鉴定出12个有前景的候选基因（、、、、、、、、、、和）与四个骨重性状相关。此外，我们关于影响猪骨重量的遗传机制的研究结果为猪骨性状的遗传改良提供了有价值的见解作为参考。
