title: Analysis of porcine MUC4 gene as a candidate gene for prolificacy QTL on SSC13 in an Iberian × Meishan F2 population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reproductive traits, such as prolificacy, are of great interest to the pig industry. Better understanding of their genetic architecture should help to increase the efficiency of pig productivity through the implementation of marker assisted selection (MAS) programmes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Mucin 4 (MUC4) gene has been evaluated as a candidate gene for a prolificacy QTL described in an Iberian × Meishan (Ib × Me) F2 intercross. For association analyses, two previously described SNPs (DQ124298:g.243A>G and DQ124298:g.344A>G) were genotyped in 347 pigs from the Ib × Me population. QTL for the number of piglets born alive (NBA) and for the total number of piglets born (TNB) were confirmed on SSC13 at positions 44 cM and 51 cM, respectively. The MUC4 gene was successfully located within the confidence intervals of both QTL. Only DQ124298:g.344A>G MUC4 polymorphism was significantly associated with both NBA and TNB (P-value < 0.05) with favourable effects coming from the Meishan origin. MUC4 expression level was determined in F2 sows displaying extreme phenotypes for the number of embryos (NE) at 30-32 days of gestation. Differences in the uterine expression of MUC4 were found between high (NE ≥ 13) and low (NE ≤ 11) prolificacy sows. Overall, MUC4 expression in high prolificacy sows was almost two-fold increased compared with low prolificacy sows.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that MUC4 could play an important role in the establishment of an optimal uterine environment that would increase embryonic survival during pig gestation.
authors: Departament de Genètica Animal, Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica (CRAG), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain. Ingrid.Balcells@uab.cat
authors: Ingrid
authors: I
authors: Balcells
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Castelló
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Mercadé
authors: José L
authors: JL
authors: Noguera
authors: Amanda
authors: A
authors: Fernández-Rodríguez
authors: Armand
authors: A
authors: Sànchez
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Tomàs
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000235:genetics*; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D005838:Genotype; D005865:Gestational Age; D008098:Litter Size / Q000235:genetics*; D055264:Mucin-4 / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011247:Pregnancy; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D013552:Swine; D014599:Uterus / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D055264:Mucin-4