Abstract
The aim of this work was to study the genetic basis of the backfat expression of lipid-related genes associated with meat quality traits in pigs. We performed a genome-wide association study with the backfat gene expression measured in 44 genes by qPCR and the PorcineSNP60 BeadChip genotypes in 115 Iberian x Landrace backcross animals. A total of 193 expression-associated SNPs located in 19 chromosomal regions were associated with expression levels of ACSM5, ELOVL6, FABP4, FADS2, and SLC27A4 genes. Three expression quantitative trail loci (eQTLs) corresponding to ACSM5, FABP4, and FADS2 were classified as cis-acting eQTLs, whereas the remaining 16 eQTLs have trans-regulatory effects. Remarkably, a SNP in the ACSM5 promoter region and a SNP in the 3′UTR region of FABP4 were the most associated polymorphisms with the ACSM5 and FABP4 expression levels, respectively. Moreover, relevant lipid-related genes mapped in the trans-eQTLs regions associated with the ACSM5, FABP4, FADS2, and SLC27A4 genes. Interestingly, a trans-eQTL hotspot on SSC13 regulating the gene expression of ELOVL6, ELOLV5, and SCD, three important genes implicated in the elongation and desaturation of fatty acids, was identified. These findings provide new data to further understand the functional regulatory mechanisms implicated in the variation of fatty acid composition in pigs.
Highlights
Pork meat is an appreciated, all-purpose lean meat, and represents one of the main sources of animal meat for humans[1]
Fourteen of them (ARNT, CYP2U1, EGF, ELOVL6, Fatty Acid Binding Protein 4 (FABP4), FABP5, FADS1, FADS2, FADS3, NFKB1, PLA2G12A, PLCB2, PLPP1, and USF1) are functional and positional candidate genes related with lipid metabolism which were identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) analyses for BF and intramuscular fatty acid (IMFA) composition in the BC1_LD animals[5,21]
Lipid metabolism genes identified in gene co-association networks for fatty acids (FAs) composition (ACSM5, ANK2, aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT), FABP4, FABP5, MGLL, and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma gene (PPARG))[19] were included; two of which, ARNT and PPARG, were identified in gene co-association networks for fatness and growth traits[20]
Summary
Pork meat is an appreciated, all-purpose lean meat, and represents one of the main sources of animal meat for humans[1]. Taking into account the relevant role of adipose tissue in the regulation of lipid metabolism, the goals of the present work were (1) to study the expression of candidate genes related with lipid metabolism in the adipose tissue of BC1_LD animals and (2) to analyze the chromosomal regions significantly associated with the gene expression levels to characterize the regulatory mechanisms influencing gene expression phenotypes. With these results we aim to increase our knowledge of the regulation of key genes determining FA composition in pigs in adipose tissue
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