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Published on: July 27, 2021
SNP discovery, expression and association analysis for the SDHD gene in pigs
S E F Guimaraes1, M F Rothschild, D Ciobanu
1Department of Animal Science and Center for Integrated Animal Genomics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA. sfacioni@ufv.br
Summary
Investigating the SDHD gene in pigs revealed significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and expression changes. These genetic variations impact growth, meat quality, and sensory traits, offering insights for swine breeding.
Area of Science:
- Animal Genetics
- Molecular Biology
- Meat Science
Background:
- The Succinate Dehydrogenase D (SDHD) gene plays a role in cellular respiration and has been implicated in various biological processes.
- Understanding genetic variations in livestock is crucial for improving economically important traits like growth and meat quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the SDHD gene.
- To investigate the association between SDHD gene expression and economically relevant traits in pigs.
- To explore the relationship between SDHD SNPs and these traits.
Main Methods:
- Genomic DNA extraction and sequencing to identify SNPs in the SDHD gene.
- Quantitative PCR (qPCR) to measure normalized SDHD gene expression in Longissimus dorsi muscle.
- Statistical association analyses between SNPs, gene expression, and phenotypic data (growth, carcass composition, meat quality, sensory traits).
Main Results:
- Three SNPs were identified in the SDHD gene, including two novel SNPs in the 3'-UTR region.
- SDHD gene expression was significantly correlated with growth, meat quality, and sensory traits (p < 0.05).
- SDHD SNPs were associated with growth, carcass composition, meat quality, and sensory traits in both commercial pigs and a Berkshire x Yorkshire resource population (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- The SDHD gene harbors genetic variations (SNPs) and its expression is linked to key production and quality traits in pigs.
- These findings suggest that SDHD could be a target gene for marker-assisted selection to enhance swine performance and meat characteristics.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the functional mechanisms underlying these associations.
Related Concept Videos
01:11Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS
Genome-wide association studies or GWAS are used to identify whether common SNPs are associated with certain diseases. Suppose specific SNPs are more frequently observed in individuals with a particular disease than those without the disease. In that case, those SNPs are said to be associated with the disease. Chi-square analysis is performed to check the probability of the allele likely to be associated with the disease.
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...
01:05Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs
A single nucleotide polymorphism or SNP is a single nucleotide variation at a specific genomic position in a large population. It is the most prevalent type of sequence variation found in the human genome. Point mutations that occur in more than 1% of the population qualify as SNPs. These are present once every 1000 nucleotides on an average in the human genome. Replacement of a purine with another purine (A/G) or a pyrimidine with another pyrimidine (C/T) is known as a transition. In contrast,...