Genome-wide association study for the level of serum electrolytes in Italian Large White pigs.
Calcium, magnesium and phosphorus are essential electrolytes involved in a large number of biological processes. Imbalance of these minerals in blood may indicate clinically relevant conditions and are important in inferring acute or chronic pathologies in humans and animals. In this work, we carried out a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for the level of these three electrolytes in the serum of 843 performance-tested Italian Large White pigs. All pigs were genotyped with the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip, and GWAS was carried out using genome-wide efficient mixed-model association. For the level of Ca(2+) , eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were significant, considering a false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05, and another eight were above the moderate association threshold (Pnominal value  < 5.00E-05). These SNPs are distributed in four porcine chromosomes (SSC): SSC8, SSC11, SSC12 and SSC13. In particular, a few putative different signals of association detected on SSC13 and one on SSC12 were in genes or close to genes involved in calcium metabolism (P2RY1, RAP2B, SLC9A9, C3orf58, TSC22D2, PLCH1 and CACNB1). Only one SNP (on SSC7) and six SNPs (on SSC2 and SSC7) showed moderate association with the level of magnesium and phosphorus respectively. The association signals for these two latter minerals might identify genes not known thus far for playing a role in their biological functions and regulations. In conclusion, our GWAS contributed to increased knowledge on the role that calcium, magnesium and phosphorus may play in the genetically determined physiological mechanisms affecting the natural variability of mineral levels in mammalian blood.
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, 40127, Bologna, Italy.
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Bovo
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, 40127, Bologna, Italy.
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Schiavo
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, 40127, Bologna, Italy.
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Mazzoni
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, 40127, Bologna, Italy.
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Dall'Olio
Department of Statistical Sciences "Paolo Fortunati", University of Bologna, Via delle Belle Arti 41, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
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Galimberti
Department of Statistical Sciences "Paolo Fortunati", University of Bologna, Via delle Belle Arti 41, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
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Calò
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, 40127, Bologna, Italy.
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Scotti
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, 40127, Bologna, Italy.
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Bertolini
Centro di Ricerca per la Produzione delle Carni e il Miglioramento Genetico, Consiglio per la Ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'Economia Agraria (CREA), Via Salaria 31, 00015 Monterotondo (RM), Italy.
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Buttazzoni
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, 40127, Bologna, Italy.
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Samorè
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 46, 40127, Bologna, Italy. luca.fontanesi@unibo.it.
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Fontanesi
D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D005838:Genotype; D008274:Magnesium / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000097:blood; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000235:genetics*
D004573:Electrolytes; D010758:Phosphorus; D008274:Magnesium; D002118:Calcium
SNP; animal model; association study; calcium, magnesium; clinical-chemical blood parameter; heavy pig; phosphorus