title: Identification of a novel 12-bp insertion/deletion (indel) of iPS-related Oct4 gene and its association with reproductive traits in male piglets.
abstract: As a key factor of cellular reprogramming, Oct4 is one of vital transcription factors for induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Loss of its function or deletion causes apoptosis in primordial germ cells (PGCs), which affect reproductive traits in mammals. In this study, a novel 12-bp insertion/deletion (indel) polymorphism (NC_010449:g.2759-2760insGGTTTTTGTCTA) within the Oct4 gene was identified in 442 pigs of Large White (LW) and Landrace (LD) breeds, showing three genotypes designated as II, ID, and DD. The frequencies of allele "I" in LW and LD pigs were 0.587 and 0.648, respectively. The male piglets with homozygous II or DD genotypes of Oct4 gene exhibited better reproductive traits than those with heterozygous ID genotype. Moreover, there were two significant associations between this 12-bp indel polymorphism and testis long circumference (TLC) (P=0.005) and testis short girth (TSG) (P=0.003) as well as 15-day testis weight (TW) (P=0.013) in the LW male piglets. These findings suggest that the 12-bp indel polymorphism of the Oct4 gene might be a potential DNA marker for selecting preferred individuals in relation to reproductive traits in pig marker-assisted selection (MAS) breeding, which could contribute to the breeding and genetics in male piglets.
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China. Electronic address: renfa0306@126.com.
authors.forename: Fa
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China. Electronic address: yushuai1992@126.com.
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China. Electronic address: chenrui950122@126.com.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: National Swine Foundation Seed Farm of Ankang Yangchen Modern Agriculture Group Co. Ltd, Ankang, 725000 PR China. Electronic address: lxy1018lxy1018@163.com.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China. Electronic address: panyu1980@126.com.
authors.forename: Chuanying
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D065150:Cellular Reprogramming / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D005838:Genotype; D006579:Heterozygote; D054643:INDEL Mutation; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D050810:Octamer Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012098:Reproduction / Q000235:genetics*; D013552:Swine / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D050810:Octamer Transcription Factors
keywords: Association; Insertion/deletion (indel); Octamer-binding transcription factor-4 (Oct4); Pig; Reproductive traits