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Zhao T, Tian T, Yu H, Cao C, Zhang Z, He Z, Ma Z, Cai R, Li F, Pang W. Identification of porcine fast/slow myogenic exosomes and their regulatory effects on lipid accumulation in intramuscular adipocytes. J Anim Sci Biotechnol 2024; 15:73. [PMID: 38824596 PMCID: PMC11144342 DOI: 10.1186/s40104-024-01029-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pork quality is affected by the type of muscle fibers, which is closely related to meat color, tenderness and juiciness. Exosomes are tiny vesicles with a diameter of approximately 30-150 nm that are secreted by cells and taken up by recipient cells to mediate communication. Exosome-mediated muscle-fat tissue crosstalk is a newly discovered mechanism that may have an important effect on intramuscular fat deposition and with that on meat quality. Various of adipose tissue-derived exosomes have been discovered and identified, but the identification and function of muscle exosomes, especially porcine fast/slow myotube exosomes, remain unclear. Here, we first isolated and identified exosomes secreted from porcine extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus (SOL), which represent fast and slow muscle, respectively, and further explored their effects on lipid accumulation in longissimus dorsi adipocytes. RESULTS Porcine SOL-derived exosomes (SOL-EXO) and EDL-derived exosomes (EDL-EXO) were first identified and their average particle sizes were approximately 84 nm with double-membrane disc- shapes as observed via transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, the intramuscular fat content of the SOL was greater than that of the EDL at 180 days of age, because SOL intramuscular adipocytes had a stronger lipid-accumulating capacity than those of the EDL. Raman spectral analysis revealed that SOL-EXO protein content was much greater than that of EDL-EXO. Proteomic sequencing identified 72 proteins that were significantly differentially expressed between SOL-EXO and EDL-EXO, 31 of which were downregulated and 41 of which were upregulated in SOL-EXO. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that muscle-fat tissue interactions occur partly via SOL-EXO promoting adipogenic activity of intramuscular adipocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiantian Zhao
- Laboratory of Animal Fat Deposition & Muscle Development, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Tingting Tian
- Laboratory of Animal Fat Deposition & Muscle Development, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - He Yu
- Laboratory of Animal Fat Deposition & Muscle Development, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Chaoyue Cao
- Laboratory of Animal Fat Deposition & Muscle Development, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Ziyi Zhang
- Laboratory of Animal Fat Deposition & Muscle Development, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Zhaozhao He
- Laboratory of Animal Fat Deposition & Muscle Development, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Zeqiang Ma
- Laboratory of Animal Fat Deposition & Muscle Development, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Rui Cai
- Laboratory of Animal Fat Deposition & Muscle Development, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Fengna Li
- Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, 410125, Hunan, China
| | - Weijun Pang
- Laboratory of Animal Fat Deposition & Muscle Development, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.
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Braz CU, Passamonti MM, Khatib H. Characterization of genomic regions escaping epigenetic reprogramming in sheep. ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS 2023; 10:dvad010. [PMID: 38496251 PMCID: PMC10944287 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvad010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
The mammalian genome undergoes two global epigenetic reprogramming events during the establishment of primordial germ cells and in the pre-implantation embryo after fertilization. These events involve the erasure and re-establishment of DNA methylation marks. However, imprinted genes and transposable elements (TEs) maintain their DNA methylation signatures to ensure normal embryonic development and genome stability. Despite extensive research in mice and humans, there is limited knowledge regarding environmentally induced epigenetic marks that escape epigenetic reprogramming in other species. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the characteristics and locations of genomic regions that evade epigenetic reprogramming in sheep, as well as to explore the biological functions of the genes within these regions. In a previous study, we identified 107 transgenerationally inherited differentially methylated cytosines (DMCs) in the F1 and F2 generations in response to a paternal methionine-supplemented diet. These DMCs were found in TEs, non-repetitive regions, and imprinted and non-imprinted genes. Our findings suggest that genomic regions, rather than TEs and imprinted genes, have the propensity to escape reprogramming and serve as potential candidates for transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Notably, 34 transgenerational methylated genes influenced by paternal nutrition escaped reprogramming, impacting growth, development, male fertility, cardiac disorders, and neurodevelopment. Intriguingly, among these genes, 21 have been associated with neural development and brain disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disease, and intellectual disability. This suggests a potential genetic overlap between brain and infertility disorders. Overall, our study supports the concept of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of environmentally induced marks in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila U Braz
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Matilde Maria Passamonti
- Department of Animal Science, Food and Nutrition, Universit’a Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, 29122, Italy
| | - Hasan Khatib
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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Zhao W, Cai Z, Wei C, Ma X, Yu B, Fu X, Zhang T, Gu Y, Zhang J. Functional identification of PGM1 in the regulating development and depositing of inosine monophosphate specific for myoblasts. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1276582. [PMID: 38164393 PMCID: PMC10758172 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1276582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Inosine monophosphate (IMP) is naturally present in poultry muscle and plays a key role in improving meat flavour. However, IMP deposition is regulated by numerous genes and complex molecular networks. In order to excavate key candidate genes that may regulate IMP synthesis, we performed proteome and metabolome analyses on the leg muscle, compared to the breast muscle control of 180-day-old Jingyuan chickens (hens), which had different IMP content. The key candidate genes identified by a differential analysis were verified to be associated with regulation of IMP-specific deposition. Results The results showed that the differentially expressed (DE) proteins and metabolites jointly involve 14 metabolic pathways, among which the purine metabolic pathway closely related to IMP synthesis and metabolism is enriched with four DE proteins downregulated (with higher expression in breast muscles than in leg muscles), including adenylate kinase 1 (AK1), adenosine monophosphate deaminase 1 (AMPD1), pyruvate kinase muscle isoenzyme 2 (PKM2) and phosphoglucomutase 1 (PGM1), six DE metabolites, Hypoxanthine, Guanosine, L-Glutamine, AICAR, AMP and Adenylsuccinic acid. Analysis of PGM1 gene showed that the high expression of PGM1 promoted the proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts and inhibited the apoptosis of myoblasts. ELISA tests have shown that PGM1 reduced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and IMP and uric acid (UA), while enhancing the biosynthesis of hypoxanthine (HX). In addition, up-regulation of PGM1 inhibited the expression of purine metabolism pathway related genes, and promoted the IMP de novo and salvage synthesis pathways. Conclusion This study preliminarily explored the mechanism of action of PGM1 in regulating the growth and development of myoblasts and specific IMP deposition in Jingyuan chickens, which provided certain theoretical basis for the development and utilization of excellent traits in Jingyuan chickens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Juan Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
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Zeng Q, Du ZQ. Advances in the discovery of genetic elements underlying longissimus dorsi muscle growth and development in the pig. Anim Genet 2023; 54:709-720. [PMID: 37796678 DOI: 10.1111/age.13365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
As a major source of protein in human diets, pig meat plays a crucial role in ensuring global food security. Key determinants of meat production refer to the chemical and physical compositions or characteristics of muscle fibers, such as the number, hypertrophy potential, fiber-type conversion and intramuscular fat deposition. However, the growth and formation of muscle fibers comprises a complex process under spatio-temporal regulation, that is, the intermingled and concomitant proliferation, differentiation, migration and fusion of myoblasts. Recently, with the fast and continuous development of next-generation sequencing technology, the integration of quantitative trait loci mapping with genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has greatly helped animal geneticists to discover and explore thousands of functional or causal genetic elements underlying muscle growth and development. However, owing to the underlying complex molecular mechanisms, challenges to in-depth understanding and utilization remain, and the cost of large-scale sequencing, which requires integrated analyses of high-throughput omics data, is high. In this review, we mainly elaborate on research advances in integrative analyses (e.g. GWAS, omics) for identifying functional genes or genomic elements for longissimus dorsi muscle growth and development for different pig breeds, describing several successful transcriptome analyses and functional genomics cases, in an attempt to provide some perspective on the future functional annotation of genetic elements for muscle growth and development in pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingjie Zeng
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Zhi-Qiang Du
- College of Animal Science, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei, China
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Yin S, Li Z, Yang F, Guo H, Zhao Q, Zhang Y, Yin Y, Wu X, He J. A Comprehensive Genomic Analysis of Chinese Indigenous Ningxiang Pigs: Genomic Breed Compositions, Runs of Homozygosity, and Beyond. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14550. [PMID: 37833998 PMCID: PMC10572203 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Ningxiang pigs are a renowned indigenous pig breed in China, known for their meat quality, disease resistance, and environmental adaptability. In recent decades, consumer demand for meats from indigenous breeds has grown significantly, fueling the selection and crossbreeding of Ningxiang pigs (NXP). The latter has raised concerns about the conservation and sustainable use of Ningxiang pigs as an important genetic resource. To address these concerns, we conducted a comprehensive genomic study using 2242 geographically identified Ningxiang pigs. The estimated genomic breed composition (GBC) suggested 2077 pigs as purebred Ningxiang pigs based on a ≥94% NXP-GBC cut-off. The remaining 165 pigs were claimed to be crosses, including those between Duroc and Ningxiang pigs and between Ningxiang and Shaziling pigs, and non-Ningxiang pigs. Runs of homozygosity (ROH) were identified in the 2077 purebred Ningxiang pigs. The number and length of ROH varied between individuals, with an average of 32.14 ROH per animal and an average total length of 202.4 Mb per animal. Short ROH (1-5 Mb) was the most abundant, representing 66.5% of all ROH and 32.6% of total ROH coverage. The genomic inbreeding estimate was low (0.089) in purebred Ningxiang pigs compared to imported western pig breeds. Nine ROH islands were identified, pinpointing candidate genes and QTLs associated with economic traits of interest, such as reproduction, carcass and growth traits, lipid metabolism, and fat deposition. Further investigation of these ROH islands and candidate genes is anticipated to better understand the genomics of Ningxiang pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shishu Yin
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China; (S.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (H.G.); (Q.Z.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Zhi Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China; (S.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (H.G.); (Q.Z.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Fang Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China; (S.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (H.G.); (Q.Z.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Haimin Guo
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China; (S.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (H.G.); (Q.Z.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Qinghua Zhao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China; (S.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (H.G.); (Q.Z.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Yuebo Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China; (S.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (H.G.); (Q.Z.); (Y.Z.)
- Key Laboratory for Evaluation and Utilization of Livestock and Poultry Resources (Pigs) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Changsha 410128, China;
| | - Yulong Yin
- Key Laboratory for Evaluation and Utilization of Livestock and Poultry Resources (Pigs) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Changsha 410128, China;
- Animal Nutrition Genome and Germplasm Innovation Research Center, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Genetic Improvement of Domestic Animal, College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
- Laboratory of Animal Nutrition Physiology and Metabolism, The Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China
| | - Xiaolin Wu
- Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding, Bowie, MD 20716, USA
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jun He
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China; (S.Y.); (Z.L.); (F.Y.); (H.G.); (Q.Z.); (Y.Z.)
- Key Laboratory for Evaluation and Utilization of Livestock and Poultry Resources (Pigs) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Changsha 410128, China;
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Huang Y, Cai L, Duan Y, Zeng Q, He M, Wu Z, Zou X, Zhou M, Zhang Z, Xiao S, Yang B, Ma J, Huang L. Whole-genome sequence-based association analyses on an eight-breed crossed heterogeneous stock of pigs reveal the genetic basis of skeletal muscle fiber characteristics. Meat Sci 2022; 194:108974. [PMID: 36167013 DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2022.108974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Skeletal muscle fiber characteristics (MFCs) have been extensively studied due to their importance to human health and athletic ability, as well as to the quantity and quality of livestock meat production. Hence, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on nine muscle fiber traits by using whole genome sequence data in an eight-breed crossed heterogeneous stock pig population. This GWAS revealed 67 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for these traits. The most significant GWAS signal was detected in the region of Sus scrofa chromosome 12 (SSC12) containing the MYH gene family. Notably, we identified a significant SNP rs322008693 (P = 7.52E-09) as the most likely causal mutation for the total number of muscle fibers (TNMF) QTL on SSC1. The results of EMSA and luciferase assays indicated that the rs322008693 SNP resided in a functional element. These findings provide valuable molecular markers for pig meat production selection as well as for deciphering the genetic mechanisms of the muscle fiber physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yizhong Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Swine Genetics, Breeding and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Liping Cai
- State Key Laboratory for Swine Genetics, Breeding and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Yanyu Duan
- State Key Laboratory for Swine Genetics, Breeding and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Qingjie Zeng
- State Key Laboratory for Swine Genetics, Breeding and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Maozhang He
- State Key Laboratory for Swine Genetics, Breeding and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Zhongping Wu
- State Key Laboratory for Swine Genetics, Breeding and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Zou
- State Key Laboratory for Swine Genetics, Breeding and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Mengqing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory for Swine Genetics, Breeding and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Zhou Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Swine Genetics, Breeding and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Shijun Xiao
- State Key Laboratory for Swine Genetics, Breeding and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Bin Yang
- State Key Laboratory for Swine Genetics, Breeding and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Junwu Ma
- State Key Laboratory for Swine Genetics, Breeding and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China.
| | - Lusheng Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Swine Genetics, Breeding and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China.
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Detection of whole genome selection signatures of Pakistani Teddy goat. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 48:7273-7280. [PMID: 34609690 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06726-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Natural and artificial selection tend to cause variability that contributes to shape the genome of livestock in a way that differentiates them among the animal kingdom. The particular aim here is to identify positive selection signatures with whole genome pooled-sequence data of Pakistani Teddy goat. METHODS AND RESULTS Paired-end alignment of 635,357,043 reads of Teddy goat with (ARS1) reference genome assembly was carried out. Pooled-Heterozygosity (Hp) and Tajima's D (TD) are applied for validation and getting better hits of selection signals, while pairwise FST statistics is conducted on Teddy vs. Bezoar (wild goat ancestor) for genomic differentiation, moreover annotation of regions under positive selection was also performed. Hp score with - ZHp > 5 detected six windows having highest hits on Chr. 29, 9, 25, 15 and 14 that harbor HRASLS5, LACE1 and AXIN1 genes which are candidate for embryonic development, lactation and body height. Secondly, - ZTD value of > 3.3 showed 4 windows with very strong hits on Chr.5 & 9 which harbor STIM1 and ADM genes related to body mass and weight. Lastly, - ZFST < - 5 generated four strong signals on Chr.5 & 12 harbor LOC102183233 gene. Other significant selection signatures encompass genes associated with wool production, prolificacy and coat colors traits in this breed. CONCLUSIONS In brief, this study identified the genes under selection in Pakistani Teddy goat that will be helpful to refining the marker-assisted breeding policies and converging required production traits within and across other goat breeds and to explore full genetic potential of this valued species of livestock.
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8
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Li D, Huang M, Zhuang Z, Ding R, Gu T, Hong L, Zheng E, Li Z, Cai G, Wu Z, Yang J. Genomic Analyses Revealed the Genetic Difference and Potential Selection Genes of Growth Traits in Two Duroc Lines. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:725367. [PMID: 34557543 PMCID: PMC8453014 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.725367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Duroc pigs are famous for their high growth rate, feed conversion efficiency, and lean meat percentage. Given that they have been subjected to artificial selection and breeding in multiple countries, various lines with obvious differences in production performance have formed. In this study, we genotyped 3,770 American Duroc (AD) pigs and 2,098 Canadian Duroc (CD) pigs using the GeneSeek Porcine SNP50 Beadchip to dissect the genetic differences and potential selection genes of growth traits in these two Duroc pig lines. Population structure detection showed that there were significant genetic differences between the two Duroc pig lines. Hence, we performed F ST and cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity (XP-EHH) analyses between the two lines. As a result, we identified 38 annotated genes that were significantly enriched in the gland development pathway in the AD line, and 61 annotated genes that were significantly enriched in the immune-related pathway in the CD line. For three growth traits including backfat thickness (BFT), loin muscle depth (LMD), and loin muscle area (LMA), we then performed selection signature detection at 5 and 10% levels within the line and identified different selected regions and a series of candidate genes that are involved in lipid metabolism and skeletal muscle development or repair, such as IRX3, EBF2, WNT10B, TLR2, PITX3, and SGCD. The differences in selected regions and genes between the two lines may be the cause of the differences in growth traits. Our study suggests significant genetic differences between the AD and CD lines, which provide a theoretical basis for selecting different Duroc lines as sires for different needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desen Li
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Min Huang
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhanwei Zhuang
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rongrong Ding
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ting Gu
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Linjun Hong
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Enqin Zheng
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zicong Li
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Gengyuan Cai
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhenfang Wu
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.,Lingnan Guangdong Laboratory of Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jie Yang
- College of Animal Science and National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
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9
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Palombo V, D’Andrea M, Licastro D, Dal Monego S, Sgorlon S, Sandri M, Stefanon B. Single-Step Genome Wide Association Study Identifies QTL Signals for Untrimmed and Trimmed Thigh Weight in Italian Crossbred Pigs for Dry-Cured Ham Production. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11061612. [PMID: 34072469 PMCID: PMC8227816 DOI: 10.3390/ani11061612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Along with the traditional traits, swine breeding programs for Italian dry-cured ham production have recently aimed to include novel phenotypes. The identification of the genomic regions underlying such new traits helps to untangle their genetic architecture and may provide useful information to be integrated in genetic selection. With this aim, we estimated genetic parameters and conducted a single step genome wide association studies (GWAS) on untrimmed and trimmed thigh weight considering two pig crossbred lines approved for Italian Protected Designation of Origin ham production. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were characterized based on the variance of 10-SNP sliding windows genomic estimated breeding values. In particular, we identified interesting QTL signals on several chromosomes, notably on chromosome 4, 6, 7 and 15. A high heritability and genetic correlation were observed for the two traits under investigation and although independent studies including other pig populations are required to disentangle the possible effects of specific linkage disequilibrium in our population, our findings suggest that such QTL could be investigated in future pig breeding programs to improve the reliability of genomic estimated breeding values for the dry-cured ham production. Abstract Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) dry-cured ham is the most important product in the Italian pig breeding industry, mainly oriented to produce heavy pig carcasses to obtain hams of the right weight and maturity. Recently, along with the traditional traits swine breeding programs have aimed to include novel carcass traits. The identification at the genome level of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting such new traits helps to reveal their genetic determinism and may provide information to be integrated in prediction models in order to improve prediction accuracy as well as to identify candidate genes underlying such traits. This study aimed to estimate genetic parameters and perform a single step genome wide association studies (ssGWAS) on novel carcass traits such as untrimmed (UTW) and trimmed thigh weight (TTW) in two pig crossbred lines approved for the ham production of the Italian PDO. With this purpose, phenotypes were collected from ~1800 animals and 240 pigs were genotyped with Illumina PorcineSNP60 Beadchip. The single-step genomic BLUP procedure was used for the heritability estimation and to implement the ssGWAS. QTL were characterized based on the variance of 10-SNP sliding window genomic estimated breeding values. Moderate heritabilities were detected and QTL signals were identified on chromosome 1, 4, 6, 7, 11 and 15 for both traits. As expected, the genetic correlation among the two traits was very high (~0.99). The QTL regions encompassed a total of 249 unique candidate genes, some of which were already reported in association with growth, carcass or ham weight traits in pigs. Although independent studies are required to further verify our findings and disentangle the possible effects of specific linkage disequilibrium in our population, our results support the potential use of such new QTL information in future breeding programs to improve the reliability of genomic prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentino Palombo
- Dipartimento Agricoltura, Ambiente e Alimenti, Università degli Studi del Molise, Via de Sanctis Snc, 86100 Campobasso, Italy;
| | - Mariasilvia D’Andrea
- Dipartimento Agricoltura, Ambiente e Alimenti, Università degli Studi del Molise, Via de Sanctis Snc, 86100 Campobasso, Italy;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0874-404671
| | - Danilo Licastro
- ARGO Open Lab Platform for Genome Sequencing, AREA Science Park, Padriciano, 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (D.L.); (S.D.M.)
| | - Simeone Dal Monego
- ARGO Open Lab Platform for Genome Sequencing, AREA Science Park, Padriciano, 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (D.L.); (S.D.M.)
| | - Sandy Sgorlon
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agroambientali, Alimentari e Animali, Università di Udine, Via Delle Scienze, 208, 33100 Udine, Italy; (S.S.); (M.S.); (B.S.)
| | - Misa Sandri
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agroambientali, Alimentari e Animali, Università di Udine, Via Delle Scienze, 208, 33100 Udine, Italy; (S.S.); (M.S.); (B.S.)
| | - Bruno Stefanon
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agroambientali, Alimentari e Animali, Università di Udine, Via Delle Scienze, 208, 33100 Udine, Italy; (S.S.); (M.S.); (B.S.)
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