Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 10, 2026
08:27
Large-Scale Multi-Omics Genome-Wide Association Studies Mo-GWAS: Guidelines for Sample Preparation and Normalization
Published on: July 27, 2021
4.9K
Genetic Marker Discovery in Complex Traits: A Field Example on Fat Content and Composition in Pigs
Ramona Natacha Pena1, Roger Ros-Freixedes2,3, Marc Tor4
1Departament de Ciència Animal, Universitat de Lleida-Agrotecnio, 25198 Lleida, Spain. romi.pena@ca.udl.cat.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|December 17, 2016
Summary
Selecting for improved pork fat quality involves identifying genetic markers. Research highlights the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) gene variant for better fat desaturation without impacting growth, crucial for breeding programs.
Area of Science:
- Animal Genetics
- Nutritional Genomics
- Livestock Breeding
Background:
- Pork quality is influenced by fat content and composition, impacting human health and meat properties.
- Fat deposition patterns are complex and vary with age in livestock.
- Previous research identified limited genetic markers for specific fat depots.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore genetic variations influencing pork fat content and composition.
- To identify genetic markers for improved fat quality traits.
- To evaluate genomic prediction models for breeding value estimation.
Main Methods:
- Candidate gene analysis, including the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) gene.
- Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify genetic variants.
- Comparison of genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) with conventional methods.
Main Results:
- A specific variant in the SCD gene enhances fat desaturation without affecting overall fatness or growth.
- Pork fat content and composition are highly polygenic traits, with few genes explaining significant variance.
- Genomic prediction models show potential for improving breeding value estimation.
Conclusions:
- Genetic selection for improved pork fat quality is feasible, particularly through targeting genes like SCD.
- Advanced genomic approaches, including GWAS and genomic prediction, are essential for dissecting complex traits.
- Understanding the genetic architecture of fat deposition and composition is key for sustainable livestock breeding.
Related Concept Videos
01:43Incomplete Dominance
31.6K
Gregor Mendel's work (1822 - 1884) was primarily focused on pea plants. Through his initial experiments, he determined that every gene in a diploid cell has two variants called alleles inherited from each parent. He suggested that amongst these two alleles, one allele is dominant in character and the other recessive. The combination of alleles determines the phenotype of a gene in an organism.
31.6K
01:18Polygenic Traits
69.9K
When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...
69.9K
01:11Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS
16.3K
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...
16.3K
01:29Pharmacogenomics: Identification of New Drug Targets
57
Advances in genomics have profoundly influenced drug discovery by increasing both the speed and accuracy of pharmaceutical development. Pharmacogenomics, which examines how genetic variation influences drug response, facilitates the identification of novel therapeutic targets and enables patient stratification for personalized treatment. These strategies contribute to improved drug efficacy, minimized adverse effects, and more efficient clinical trial design.Mapping genetic differences...
57
01:39Epistasis
50.8K
In addition to multiple alleles at the same locus influencing traits, numerous genes or alleles at different locations may interact and influence phenotypes in a phenomenon called epistasis. For example, rabbit fur can be black or brown depending on whether the animal is homozygous dominant or heterozygous at a TYRP1 locus. However, if the rabbit is also homozygous recessive at a locus on the tyrosinase gene (TYR), it will have an unshaded coat that appears white, regardless of its TYRP1...
50.8K
01:33Pleiotropy
43.7K
Pleiotropy is the phenomenon in which a single gene impacts multiple, seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits. For example, defects in the SOX10 gene cause Waardenburg Syndrome Type 4, or WS4, which can cause defects in pigmentation, hearing impairments, and an absence of intestinal contractions necessary for elimination. This diversity of phenotypes results from the expression pattern of SOX10 in early embryonic and fetal development. SOX10 is found in neural crest cells that form melanocytes,...
43.7K