title: Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the leptin-a gene and associations with growth traits in the orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides).
abstract: Leptin is a multifunctional protein involved in processes such as body weight regulation, energy expenditure, fat metabolism, food intake, and appetite regulation. Duplicate leptin genes, leptin-a and leptin-b, were previously detected in the orange-spotted grouper. In this study, we cloned the full-length open reading frame (ORF) of the leptin-a gene in the orange-spotted grouper, searched for polymorphisms, and performed association analyses between these polymorphisms and seven growth traits. Six polymorphisms, consisting of 2 SNPs in intron 1 (c.182T > G, c.183G > T) and 4 SNPs in exon 2 (c.339C > G, c.345C > T, c.447G > A, c.531C > T), were identified and genotyped in 200 individuals. The c.182T > G and c.183G > T polymorphisms showed complete linkage and were analyzed together. Association analyses revealed that the c.182 + 183TG > GT polymorphism was significantly associated with body weight (BWT) and body width (BWH), with the AB (TG/GT) genotype showing positive effects on growth traits. Additionally, the SNP c.447G > A was significantly associated with BWT, BWH, overall length (OL), trunk width (TW), and head length (HL), with the GA genotype displaying positive effects on growth traits. The c.531C > T SNP showed a close association between the TT genotype and decreased growth. Our results demonstrate that several polymorphisms in the leptin-a gene are associated with growth traits and can be used for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in orange-spotted grouper populations.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Tropical Biology Resources, Ministry of Education, College of Ocean, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China. huanghai74@126.com.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Hai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Zining
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Guohua
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Haoran
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001492:Bass / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D005819:Genetic Markers; D020738:Leptin / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
chemical_list: D029941:Fish Proteins; D005819:Genetic Markers; D020738:Leptin