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Title: Four genes located on a SSC2 meat quality QTL region are associated with different meat quality traits in Landrace x Chinese-European crossbred population

Author
item CEPICA, STANISLAV - Institute For Animal Genetics - Czech Republic
item OVILO, CRISTINA - Instituto Nacional De Investigacion Y Technologia Agraria Y Alimentaria
item MASOPUST, MARTIN - Institute For Animal Genetics - Czech Republic
item KNOLL, ALES - Mendel University
item FERNANDEZ, ALMUDENA - Instituto Nacional De Investigacion Y Technologia Agraria Y Alimentaria
item LOPEZ, ANGELINES - Instituto Nacional De Investigacion Y Technologia Agraria Y Alimentaria
item Rohrer, Gary
item Nonneman, Danny - Dan

Submitted to: Animal Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/2/2011
Publication Date: 6/1/2012
Citation: Cepica, S., Ovilo, C., Masopust, M., Knoll, A., Fernandez, A., Lopez, A., Rohrer, G.A., Nonneman, D. 2012. Four genes located on a SSC2 meat quality QTL region are associated with different meat quality traits in Landrace x Chinese-European crossbred population. Animal Genetics. 43(3):333-336.

Interpretive Summary: Several different groups have found evidence of important chromosomal regions affecting meat quality on the long arm of pig chromosome 2. In an attempt to determine the genes within these regions that were controlling these traits, we performed association analyses in a commercial Landrace x Chinese-European (LCE) crossbred population (N = 446) slaughtered at approximately 127 kg. Records for performance (growth, fat and meat accretion) and meat quality (intramuscular fat (IMF), meat color and pH) were analyzed. Genetic variation, or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in candidate genes within the chromosomal regions were tested. Effects were found for pH (1 gene), IMF (1 gene) and meat color (2 genes). Trends for effects on IMF (2 genes), and meat color (3 genes) were also observed. Our results further support the presence of genes associated with meat quality traits in this region of the genome and suggests that there are several genes responsible for the variation observed.

Technical Abstract: Several quantitative trait loci (QTL) for different meat quality traits have been localized on the q arm of porcine chromosome 2 at position 55–78 cM. Association analyses were performed in a commercial Landrace x Chinese-European (LCE) crossbred population (n = 446) slaughtered at approximately 127 kg and an average age of 198 days with records for performance (growth, fat and meat accretion) and meat quality [intramuscular fat (IMF), Minolta L*, Minolta a*, Minolta b* and pH at 45 m]. Polymorphisms within positional candidate genes cloned from homologous regions on human chromosome 19, ubiquitin-like 5 (UBL5 – AM950288:g.566G>A), resistin (RETN – AM157180:g.1473A>G causing substitution p.Ala36Thr), insulin receptor (INSR – AM950289:g.589T>C) and complement factor D (adipsin) (CFD – AM950287:g. 306C>T) were located at positions 62.1, 64.0, 68.0 and 70.7 cM respectively on the current USDA USMARC map of porcine chromosome 2 and had the following allele frequencies in the LCE: UBL5 566G – 0.57; RETN 1473G – 0.84; INSR 589C – 0.70; and CFD 306C – 0.73. The effects of alleles within the candidate genes on the recorded traits were estimated using an animal model. Significant effects (P < 0.05) were found for pH45 in m. semimembranosus (m. sm.) (UBL5), IMF (RETN) and Minolta L* (RETN, CFD). Differences between phenotypic means of homozygotes at UBL5, RETN and either RETN or CFD explained 0.34 SD for pH45 in m. sm., 0.47 SD for IMF and 0.68 SD for Minolta L* respectively. Suggestive effects (P < 0.10) on IMF (UBL5, CFD), Minolta a* (INSR, CFD) and Minolta b* (INSR) were also observed. Our results support the localization of further QTL for meat quality traits in this region and suggest that there are several genes affecting different meat quality traits.