Linkage and QTL mapping for Sus scrofa chromosome 7

Abstract

SummaryLinkage maps of Sus scrofa chromosome 7 (SSC7) for three informative F2 families, based on Wild Boar (W), Meishan (M) and Pietrain (P) crosses, were constructed using 16 marker loci. Maps were consistent for the families, except the order of the markers PI2‐PO1A‐S0212 in the W × M family which was inverted in the M × P and W × P families. Important quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were localized in the region of the SLA complex in the M × P and W × M families. These explained up to 16% of F2 phenotypic variance for body conformation, fat deposition and muscling. In the W × P family, minor QTLs were mapped outside the SLA region. The highly significant QTL alleles were mainly additive (a > d). The Meishan alleles for QTL located in the SLA region were associated with higher head weights and carcass lengths, but with lower carcass fat contents than those from Wild Boar and Pietrain. The cryptic Meishan QTL allele, which reduces carcass fat, provides one of the first examples of transgressive segregation in animals and emphasizes that useful genetic variation can be hidden in the genetic background of a breed.