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Behavioural genetic differences between Chinese and European pigs
Qingpo Chu1, Tingting Liang, Lingling Fu
1College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China. zhoubo@njau.edu.cn.
Journal of Genetics
|September 27, 2017
Summary
Chinese Mi pigs exhibit less aggression than European Landrace-Large White (LLW) pigs. Genetic variations in neurotransmitter-related genes contribute to these behavioral differences between breeds.
Area of Science:
- Animal Genetics
- Behavioral Science
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Aggression is a heritable trait linked to neurotransmitter-related genes.
- Significant behavioral differences exist among pig breeds.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate genetic polymorphisms in neurotransmitter-related genes between Chinese Mi pigs and Landrace-Large White (LLW) cross pigs.
- To correlate genetic differences with observed aggressive behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Genotyping of 32 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 11 neurotransmitter-related genes using the Sequenom iPLEX platform.
- Behavioral assessments including backtest and skin lesion scoring in 50 Mi pigs and 100 LLW pigs.
Main Results:
- Significant genetic polymorphisms (26 SNPs, P < 0.05) were found between Mi and LLW pigs.
- Distinct haplotype frequencies were observed in genes like DBH, HTR2A, GAD1, HTR2B, MAOA, and MAOB.
- Mi pigs showed significantly lower backtest scores (P < 0.001) and fewer skin lesions (P < 0.01) compared to LLW pigs.
Conclusions:
- Chinese Mi pigs are less active and aggressive than European LLW pigs.
- Genetic polymorphisms in neurotransmitter-related genes show considerable differences between the breeds and are associated with aggressive behavior.
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