Identification of three new microsatellites and their effects on body measurement traits in pigs using time of flight-mass spectrometry (TOF-MS)

Abstract

The body status of livestock affects their physiological function and productive performances. Microsatellites, one of the most used DNA markers, have been found to be associated with pig productive traits. However, their identifications and effects on body measurement traits of the Chinese Qinghai Bamei pig still uncovered. According to our previous sequencing data, in this study, three novel microsatellites were found in this breed. Using time of flight-mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) method, these microsatellites were further identified in a large Bamei pig population. TOF-MS spectra showed that there are three microsatellites loci, named P1, P2 and P3. These microsatellites were linkage equilibrium based on the values of D’ and r² tests. Association results demonstrated that P1 locus was associated with the body length, body height and chest width and the beneficial genotype was 150-/150-bp (p < 0.05); and P2 locus was associated with the body height (p < 0.05), and the 145-/145-bp, 145-/147-bp and 145-/149-bp were claimed as favorable genotypes and 145-bp allele was considered as the favorable allele. These findings suggested that P1 and P2 microsatellites might be considered as the candidate genetic markers to select pigs with superior body sizes, especially in local breed.

Keywords:

• Pig
• polymorphism
• time of flight-mass spectrometry (TOF-MS)
• growth traits
• association

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Qinghai Bamei pig original breeding farm, the Qinghai Huzhu Bamei pig breeding farm and the Qinghai Huangzhong county breeding farm for collecting the samples and body size data.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the Achievement Transformation Project of Science and Technology of Qinghai Province [2019-NK-102].