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Molecular cloning of WIF 1 and HMGA 2 reveals ear‐preferential expression while uncovering a missense mutation associated with porcine ear size in WIF 1
Author(s) -
Liang J.,
Zhang Y.,
Wang L.,
Liu X.,
Yan H.,
Wang L.,
Zhang L.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
animal genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.756
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2052
pISSN - 0268-9146
DOI - 10.1111/age.12759
Subject(s) - biology , missense mutation , genetics , gene , wnt signaling pathway , population , mutation , microbiology and biotechnology , demography , sociology
Summary Considerable diversity exists in porcine ear size, which is an important morphological feature of pig breeds. Previously, we localized four crucial candidate genes— high mobility group AT ‐hook 2 ( HMGA 2 ), LEM domain‐containing 3 ( LEMD 3 ), methionine sulfoxide reductase B3 ( MSRB 3 ) and Wnt inhibitory factor 1 ( WIF 1 )—on Sus Scrofa chromosome 5 affecting porcine ear size, then cloned LEMD 3 and MSBR 3 . In this study, we performed rapid amplification of cDNA ends to obtain full‐length cDNA sequences of 2338‐bp WIF 1 and 2998‐bp HMGA 2 . Using quantitative real‐time PCR , we revealed that WIF 1 expression was highest in ear cartilage of 60‐day‐old pigs and that this is therefore a better candidate gene for ear size than HMGA 2 . We further screened coding sequence variants in both genes and identified only one missense mutation ( WIF 1: c.1167C>G) in a conserved epidermal growth factor‐like domain from the mammalian WIF 1 protein. The protein‐altering mutation was significantly associated with ear size across the Large White × Minzhu hybrid and Beijing Black pig populations. When WIF 1: c.1167C>G was included as fixed effect in the model to re‐run a genome‐wide association study in the Large White × Minzhu intercross population the P ‐value of the peak SNP on SSC 5 from re‐running the genome‐wide association study dropped from 2.45E‐12 to 7.33E‐05. Taken together, the WIF 1: c.1167C>G could be an important mutation associated with ear size. Our findings provide helpful information for further studies of the molecular mechanisms controlling porcine ear size.

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