Alleles of the cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7) gene in pigs selected for high or low plasma total cholesterol.

Crossbred pigs were selected for high (HTC) or low (LTC) plasma total cholesterol (TC). Pigs from the seventh (n = 51) and eighth (n = 92) generations were used to determine restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP). Using TaqI restriction enzyme digestion, the frequencies of two alleles (2.8- or 5.0-kb fragments) of the cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7) gene were determined in the two populations as a potential indicator of TC concentration at 8 weeks of age. Only the 2.8-kb fragment allele was present in the 26 HTC pigs tested in Generation 7. In the LTC pigs both the 2.8- and 5.0-kb alleles were present in 12 pigs, and only the 5.0-kb allele was present in 13 pigs. The allele frequencies of the 2.8 and 5.0 fragments, respectively, were .26 and .74 in LTC pigs and 1.00 and 0 in HTC pigs. There was an association (P < .001) between the 5.0- and 2.8-kb CYP7 alleles, respectively, and low and high TC concentrations. In Generation 8, all HTC pigs were homozygous for the 2.8-kb allele. The 5.0 kb allele was present in all LTC pigs tested and was homozygous in 57% of LTC pigs. Mean plasma TC was 105.0 mg/dl in 30 pigs homozygous for the 2.8-kb allele in Generation 8; means for LTC pigs were 53.5 and 60.4 mg/dl in 35 pigs homozygous for the 5.0-kb allele and in 27 heterozygous pigs, respectively. High TC was associated with the presence of the 2.8-kb allele, and low TC was associated with the presence of the 5.0-kb allele in both Generations 7 and 8. We conclude that TaqI RFLP analysis of the CYP7 gene is a reliable indicator for TC in these swine.