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Transcript level of the porcine ME 1 gene is affected by SNP in its 3′ UTR , which is also associated with subcutaneous fat thickness
Author(s) -
Bartz M.,
Kociucka B.,
Mankowska M.,
Switonski M.,
Szydlowski M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of animal breeding and genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.689
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1439-0388
pISSN - 0931-2668
DOI - 10.1111/jbg.12065
Subject(s) - snp , large white , biology , intramuscular fat , gene , untranslated region , single nucleotide polymorphism , subcutaneous fat , in silico , adipose tissue , genetics , messenger rna , genotype , endocrinology , biochemistry , zoology
Summary Pork quality depends on multiple factors, including fatty acid composition in muscle and fat tissues. The ME 1 gene is a strong candidate for fat accumulation, as it encodes the malic enzyme, which is required for fatty acid synthesis. We identified seven new polymorphisms in 3′ UTR of the ME 1 gene and moreover confirmed the presence of 4 polymorphisms detected previously. Interestingly, the studied Duroc pigs were monomorphic at all these polymorphic sites, while in 3 other breeds (Pietrain, Polish Landrace and Polish Large White), the polymorphisms were unevenly distributed. One of the novel SNP s (c.*488A>G) was found in the Polish Large White and the Polish Landrace only, and the association studies revealed that it was significantly associated with backfat thickness and average daily weight gain in the Polish Landrace (N = 207) and the Polish Large White (N = 157). This SNP was differently associated with ME 1 transcript level in muscle and backfat. The in silico analysis of another novel SNP (c.*548C>T) indicated that it is located within a binding sequence conserved among vertebrates for the miR‐30 family in 3′ UTR of the ME 1 . It was shown that in the longissimus muscle, but not in adipose tissue, CT gilts compared with CC ones had significantly lower levels of the ME 1 transcript. This polymorphism, however, was not associated with production traits. Additionally, we observed that transcript level of the ME 1 was significantly higher in subcutaneous fat than in the longissimus muscle, as well as both investigated tissues of the Polish Landrace when compared to the other breeds. However, no association was found between this polymorphism and fatty acid profiles. We conclude that the ME 1 gene polymorphism (c.*488A>G) is a potential marker for porcine backfat thickness.