Mitochondria are essential organelles in the regulation of cellular energetic metabolism. Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA_CN) can be used as a proxy for mitochondria number, size, and activity. The aims of our study are to evaluate the effect of mtDNA_CN and mitochondrial haploblocks on production traits in pigs, and to identify the genetic background of this cellular phenotype.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is one of the most challenging viral diseases that cause substantial economic losses in the pig industry worldwide. The clinical signs of PRRS depend on, among others, the immunomodulatory properties of the PRRS virus strain, farm health status, herd immunity, and host genetics. The high virulence and mutation rate of PRRS virus limit the efficacy of vaccination programs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe recessive T allele of the missense polymorphism rs709596309 C > T of the leptin receptor gene is associated with intramuscular fat. However, its overall impact on pork production is still partial. In this work, we investigated the all-round effects of the TT genotype on lean growth efficiency and carcass, meat and fat quality using data from an experiment that compared the performance of 48 TT and 48 C- (24 CT and 24 CC) Duroc barrows.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOne of the most important processes that occur during the transformation of muscle to meat is the pH decline as a consequence of the post-mortem metabolism of muscle tissue. Abnormal pH declines lead to pork defects such as pale, soft, and exudative meat. There is genetic variance for ultimate pH and the role of some genes on this phenotype is well established.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPiglets with low birth weight present low vitality after farrowing, often leading to impaired weight gain during lactation. A recessive missense variant (C > T) for increased appetite and fatness in the porcine leptin receptor gene (rs709596309) causes a negative maternal effect on the weight of piglets at weaning. However, it is not known whether this variant already exerts an effect on the birth weight and vitality of newborn piglets and on their growing capacity during lactation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDissecting genetic variation of local breeds is important for the success of conservation. In this research, we investigated the genomic variation of Colombian Creole (CR) pigs, with a focus on the breed-specific variants in the exonic region of 34 genes with reported effects on adaptive and economic traits. Seven individuals of each of the three CR breeds (CM, Casco de Mula; SP, San Pedreño; and ZU, Zungo) were whole-genome sequenced along with 7 Iberian (IB) pigs and 7 pigs of each of the four most used cosmopolitan (CP) breeds (Duroc, Landrace × Large White, and Pietrain).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferases (AGPATs) are enzymes that catalyze the conversion of lysophosphatidic acid to phosphatidic acid, which is a precursor of triacylglycerol, the main fat reservoir in mammals. We used whole-genome sequencing of 205 pigs to identify 6639 genetic variants in the porcine AGPAT gene family. Of these, 166 common variants in the AGPAT5 gene had significant associations with fat content and composition traits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is a growing interest to decipher the genetic background of resilience and its possible improvement through selective breeding. The objective of the present study was to provide new insights into the genetic make-up of resilience in growing pigs by identifying genomic regions and candidate genes associated with resilience indicators. Commercial Duroc pigs were challenged with an attenuated Aujeszky vaccine at 12 weeks of age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The composition of intramuscular fat depends on genetic and environmental factors, including the diet. In pigs, we identified a haplotype of three SNP mutations in the stearoyl-coA desaturase (SCD) gene promoter associated with higher content of monounsaturated fatty acids in intramuscular fat. The second of these three SNPs (rs80912566, C > T) affected a putative retinol response element in the SCD promoter.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is a growing concern about the genetic determinism of resilience and its possible implementation in breeding programs. The objective of our study was to elaborate novel resilience indicators in growing pigs based on the deviation from the expected growth curve and the increment of the acute-phase protein haptoglobin (HP) after applying a common vaccine. A total of 445 pigs were vaccinated with an attenuated Aujeszky vaccine at 12 weeks of age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe bulk of body fat in mammals is in the form of triacylglycerol. Diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) catalyses the terminal step in triacylglycerol synthesis. The proximity of DGAT2 with stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) in the endoplasmic reticulum may facilitate provision of de novo SCD-mediated fatty acids as substrate for DGAT2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe selection of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) resilient sows has been proposed as a strategy to control this disease. A discrete event-based simulation model was developed to mimic the outcome of farms with resilient or susceptible sows suffering recurrent PRRSV outbreaks. Records of both phenotypes were registered in a PRRSV-positive farm of 1500 sows during three years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCirculating non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) can reflect the composition of dietary fat or adipose tissues depending on the fasting conditions. Therefore, circulating NEFA may be valuable as biomarkers for meat quality traits, such as intramuscular fat content and fatty acid composition in finishing pigs. Genetic variants that regulate lipid metabolism can also modulate the circulating NEFA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaternal effects on offspring growth can impact survival and evolution of natural and domesticated populations. Genetic correlation estimates often support a negative relationship between direct and maternal effects. However, the genetic underpinnings whereby this antagonism operates are unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrop Anim Health Prod
January 2021
Characterization of Creole breeds is still very limited, including reproductive performance. In this research, we assessed the semen quality of three Colombian Creole breeds (Zungo, Casco de Mula and San Pedreño) relative to that of international breeds (Duroc, Belgian Landrace and Pietrain). Two doses from seven boars per breed were evaluated for sperm kinetics and membrane and acrosome integrity using computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) and flow cytometry, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe effects of LEPR (rs709596309C > T) and FADS2 (rs321384923A > G) single nucleotide polymorphisms on production and quality attributes in purebred Duroc dry-cured hams were examined. As compared to LEPR-C- hams, the LEPR-TT hams had more intramuscular fat (+2.2% dry matter, P < 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a major infectious stressor that causes serious health problems and productivity drops. Based on previous genome-wide analyses, we selected and as candidate genes for resilience, and genotyped three mutations, including a 3'UTR variant SGK1_rs338508371 and two synonymous variants TAP1_rs1109026889 and TAP1_rs80928141 in 305 Landrace × Large White sows. All polymorphisms affected the reproductive performance in the outbreak, but not during the endemic phase, thereby indicating a potential use of these markers for resilience.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study we investigated the impact of dietary protein and carotene levels on microbial functions and composition during the last month of purebred fattening Duroc pigs. Fecal microbiota was characterized using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing at two points of live, 165 (T1) and 195 (T2) days. From 70 to 165 days of age, 32 pigs were divided into two groups fed either a standard-protein (SP) or a low-protein (LP) diet.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn gilts and sows, the more severe clinical manifestation of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) occurs in late gestation and can result in up to a 40% abortion incidence. Despite the known genetic component in resilience to PRRSV, there is scarce information regarding the abortive outcome of this disease. We tested the relationship between eight molecular markers (six from published studies and two identified in the present study in the gene) and the probability of abortion during a PRRSV outbreak, using data from two commercial Landrace x Large White sow farms with an incidence of abortion of 35% and 17%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe identification of resilient sows can improve reproductive performance in farms exposed to multiple challenges. A common challenge is the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). A key issue to deal with disease resilience is to set up a feasible phenotyping strategy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe identification of resilient sows can improve reproductive performance in farms exposed to multiple challenges. A common challenge is the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). A key issue to deal with disease resilience is to set up a feasible phenotyping strategy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is a relevant trait for high-quality meat products such as dry-cured ham, but increasing IMF has the undesirable correlated effect of decreasing lean growth. Thus, there is a need to find selection criteria for IMF independent from lean growth. In pigs, the proportion of linoleic (C18:2) and arachidonic (C20:4) acids decline with fat deposition and therefore they can be considered as indicators of fatness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArachidonic acid (C20:4) is related to a wide range of biological effects including lipid homeostasis. The fatty acid desaturase-2 (FADS2) gene encodes for the delta-6-desaturase, which is involved in the biosynthesis of C20:4 from linoleic acid (C18:2). The purpose of this study was to characterise mutations in the promoter of the porcine FADS2, evaluating in particular the effect of one haplotype tagging polymorphism (rs321384923A > G) on the biosynthesis pathway of C20:4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmong the large number of attributes that define pork quality, fat content and composition have attracted the attention of breeders in the recent years due to their interaction with human health and technological and sensorial properties of meat. In livestock species, fat accumulates in different depots following a temporal pattern that is also recognized in humans. Intramuscular fat deposition rate and fatty acid composition change with life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntramuscular fat (IMF) content and fatty acid composition affect the organoleptic quality and nutritional value of pork. A genome-wide association study was performed on 138 Duroc pigs genotyped with a 60k SNP chip to detect biologically relevant genomic variants influencing fat content and composition. Despite the limited sample size, the genome-wide association study was powerful enough to detect the association between fatty acid composition and a known haplotypic variant in SCD (SSC14) and to reveal an association of IMF and fatty acid composition in the LEPR region (SSC6).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF