Abstract:
Objective To identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the BMP15 gene associated with ovulation status, teat number, and carcass traits in pigs, providing effective molecular markers and reference information for the breeding and genetic improvement of Liangguang Spotted pigs.
Method A total of 107 Liangguang Spotted sows were used as experimental animals. The sows were slaughtered at 365 ± 25 days of age to assess ovulation status, teat number, and carcass traits. SNPs within the BMP15 gene were genotyped using the genotyping by target sequencing (GBTS) technology. Association analysis and linkage disequilibrium analysis were performed for ovulation status, teat number, and carcass traits.
Result A total of 64 polymorphic sites were detected in the BMP15 gene of Liangguang Spotted pigs. After excluding polymorphic sites with a mutation frequency lower than 1%, 27 SNPs were retained for association analysis, among which 8 were located in coding regions and 19 were located in non-coding regions. SNP association analysis showed that g.44615220G>C, g.44615222T>A, g.44615224G>C, g.44613316T>C, g.44613600T>G, g.44614611T>C and g.44615055A>G were significantly associated with ovulation status (P<0.05). The SNPs g.44611375C>G, g.44613539A>G and g.44614651T>C were significantly associated with teat number (P<0.05). The SNPs g.44615220G>C, g.44615222T>A and g.44615224G>C were significantly associated with backfat thickness (P<0.05). The SNPs g.44611375C>G, g.44611978T>C, g.44613539A>G, g.44614367A>G and g.44614651T>C were significantly associated with bone weight, lean meat weight, loin eye area, ham weight, and skin and fat percentage (P<0.05). The SNPs g.44613316T>C, g.44613600T>G, g.44614611T>C and g.44615055A>G were significantly associated with bone weight, loin eye area, ham weight, and leaf fat weight (P<0.05). Haplotype association analysis of SNP loci revealed strong linkage disequilibrium among g.44615220G>C (H1), g.44615222T>A (H2) and g.44615224G>C (H3) (r2 >0.9), and similarly strong linkage disequilibrium among g.44611375C>G (H4), g.44611978T>C (H5), g.44613539A>G (H6), g.44614367A>G (H7) and g.44614651T>C (H8) (r2 >0.9). The haplotype combinations H1H2, H1H3 and H2H3 were significantly associated with ovulation status (P<0.05). The combinations H4H6, H4H8 and H6H8 showed significant associations with teat number (P<0.05). The combinations H1H2, H1H3 and H2H3 were significantly associated with backfat thickness (P<0.05). The combinations H4H5, H7H8 and H4H7 were significantly associated with loin eye area (P<0.05).
Conclusion This study identified 12 SNPs in the BMP15 gene that are significantly associated with ovulation status, teat number, and carcass traits, providing a theoretical basis for future molecular marker-assisted selection in Liangguang Spotted pigs.