Genome-wide association study of bone mineral density trait among three pig breeds

Abstract

Leg weakness (LW) issues are a great concern for pig breeding industry. And it also has a serious impact on animal welfare. To dissect the genetic architecture of limb-and-hoof firmness in commercial pigs, a genome-wide association study was conducted on bone mineral density (BMD) in three sow populations, including Duroc, Landrace and Yorkshire. The BMD data were obtained by ultrasound technology from 812 pigs (including Duroc 115, Landrace 243 and Yorkshire 454). In addition, all pigs were genotyped using genome-by-sequencing and a total of 224 162 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were obtained. After quality control, 218 141 SNPs were used for subsequent genome-wide association analysis. Nine significant associations were identified on chromosomes 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12 and 18 that passed Bonferroni correction threshold of 0.05/(total SNP numbers). The most significant locus that associated with BMD (P value = 1.92e−14) was detected at approximately 41.7 Mb on SSC6 (SSC stands for Sus scrofa chromosome). CUL7, PTK7, SRF, VEGFA, RHEB, PRKAR1A and TPO that are located near the lead SNP of significant loci were highlighted as functionally plausible candidate genes for sow limb-and-hoof firmness. Moreover, we also applied a new method to measure the BMD data of pigs by ultrasound technology. The results provide an insight into the genetic architecture of LW and can also help to improve animal welfare in pigs.

Factors influencing the bone mineral density in Duroc boars

“…In the current investigation, the BMD in boars ranged from 3542 to 4650 m/s, which was consistent with previous literature [ 3 , 18 ], confirming the reliability of our data. But the SOS of BMD from our datasets was higher than humans [ 19 , 20 ].…”

Genome‐wide association study of fleece traits in Inner Mongolia Cashmere goats

“…In recent years, various genes or associated genetic markers affecting important traits have been identified in farm animals, e.g. pigs (Yao et al 2019;Jiang et al 2020), cattle (Sahana et al 2010;Sarlo Davlia et al 2020), sheep (Li et al 2020;Hernandez-montiel et al 2020), and chickens (Liu et al 2020;Zhang et al 2020), etc. Goats used in the present study (n = 192, 3 years old from 4 herds) were selected randomly from the Arbas Stock Farm (latitude 39°06 0 N and longitude 107°59 0 E) in southwestern Inner Mongolia, China. Before cashmere combing in May, patch samples of 10 cm 2 on the side of the shoulder were obtained by shaving the area.…”

Study of genes polymorphisms in RANK/RANKL/OPG and WNT signaling pathways and their associations with bone parameters in broiler chicken

“…Genes of important signaling pathways that play a key role in bone metabolism were tested. There are relatively few studies that examine SNPs in relation to bone quality in animals [ 14 , [22] , [23] , [24] ], with studies predominating to find SNPs for different quality traits, growth rates, or production, depending on the species [ 4 , 25 , 37 ].…”