ABSTRACT
For detecting QTL in the whole swine genome, 1068 pigs from three F2 populations constructed by crossing European Wild boar and Pietrain (W x P), Meishan and Pietrain (M x P), and Wild Boar and Meishan (W x M) were genotyped for genetic markers evenly spaced at approximately 20 cM intervals. AQTL analysis was performed using a least-squares method. Here the results of the QTL analysis on the porcine chromosome 7 are presented. QTL for carcass composition (e.g. head weight, carcass length, backfat depth, abdominal fat and bacon meat) were mapped in the chromosomal region CYPA/CYPD-TNFB-S0102 in M x P and W x M, but not in W x P. The QTL explained 5.3%-27.2% of the F2 phenotypic variance in the two F2 populations. Most traits affected by the mapped QTL were related to carcass fatness. The mode of gene action of QTL was additive. Surprisingly, in contrast to the parental phenotype, the QTL alleles from fatty Meishan were associated with thinner backfat than Pietrain and Wild Boar alleles, suggesting that the genome of the fatty Meishan pig contains genes which can reduce fat content of carcass substantially.
Subject(s)
Adiposity/genetics , Quantitative Trait Loci , Sus scrofa/anatomy & histology , Sus scrofa/genetics , Alleles , Animals , Animals, Wild/anatomy & histology , Animals, Wild/genetics , Chromosome Mapping , Female , Hybridization, Genetic , Least-Squares Analysis , Male , Microsatellite Repeats , Models, Genetic , Species Specificity , Swine/anatomy & histology , Swine/geneticsABSTRACT
During genotyping of 38 microsatellites for QTL (quantitative trait loci) mapping in three F2 swine populations, five mutant alleles were detected in a total of 66,436 parent-offspring transfers of microsatellite alleles, which gives an overall mutation rate of 7.52 x 10(-5) per locus per generation. No significant (P > 0.05) association between mutation rates and other factors (i.e., GC contents in the flanking regions, heterozygosity, and repeat number) was revealed. Detailed sequencing showed that four out of five mutant alleles were caused by insertions of one to five repeats, respectively. The other mutant allele was produced by either an insertion of three repeats or a change of 30 base pairs (a deletion of 16 CT repeats and an insertion of one CA repeat). An insertion of one base pair in the flanking region of a microsatellite was also detected. Together, these data indicate that expansions are more common than contractions among microsatellites and that the mutation processes are very complicated, do not fit with the strict stepwise mutation model and may vary from locus to locus.
