title: Molecular cloning, expression and functional characterization of the cytochrome P450 2A6 gene in pig liver.
abstract: Raising intact male pigs would have a significant economic impact on the pork industry because intact males have improved feed efficiency and a greater lean yield of the carcass compared with barrows. However, the presence of skatole, a major cause of boar taint, in meat from intact male pigs could be highly objectionable to consumers. It has been shown that CYP2A6 is a key enzyme in the hepatic metabolism of skatole and that the activity of CYP2A6 is negatively correlated with skatole accumulation in fat. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize CYP2A6 from pig liver, as well as identify genetic polymorphisms in the CYP2A6 gene, and examine the association between these polymorphisms and skatole level. We identified a single base deletion in CYP2A6, resulting in a frame shift in the coding region that produces a non-functional enzyme, which was associated with high levels of skatole in fat tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada. z-lin@northwestern.edu
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Squires
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001189:Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D065637:Cytochrome P-450 CYP2A6; D017931:DNA Primers; D016368:Frameshift Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012862:Skatole / Q000378:metabolism*; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012862:Skatole; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; D001189:Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases; D065637:Cytochrome P-450 CYP2A6