QTL alleles on chromosome 7 from fatty Meishan pigs reduce fat deposition

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.