Abstract
ObjectiveThe Agu is the only native pig breed in Japan, which is reared in Okinawa prefecture, the southernmost region in Japan. Its origins are considered to be of Asian lineage; however, the genetic background of the Agu is still unclear. The objective of this study was to elucidate the maternal lineage of the Okinawa indigenous Agu pig with the use of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region.MethodsThe mtDNA control regions of Agu pigs were sequenced and the phylogenetic relationship among Agu, East Asian and European pigs was investigated with the use of 78 Agu individuals.ResultsTwenty-seven polymorphic sites and five different haplotypes (type 1 to type 5) were identified within the Agu population. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that types 1 and 2 were included in East Asian lineages; however, the remaining types 3, 4, and 5 were of European lineages, which showed a gene flow from European pigs in the 20th century. Sixty-seven out of 78 Agu individuals (85.9%) possessed mtDNA haplotypes 1 and 2 of the East Asian lineage, which were identical to two haplotypes of ancient mtDNA (7,200 to 1,700 years before the present) excavated at archaeological sites in Okinawa.ConclusionThis study confirmed that the East Asian lineage is dominant in the maternal genetic background of the Agu population, supporting the hypothesis that the ancestors of the Agu pig were introduced from the Asian continent.
Highlights
The Agu is the only native pig breed in Japan, which is reared in Okinawa prefecture, the southernmost region in Japan
A median-joining net work divided five haplotypes of the Agu into two groups. These results indicated that the Agu pig population has two distinct maternal lineages: East Asian pigs and European pigs; Eastern Asian lineage is domi nant in the Agu population
Our results indicated the Ryukyu wild boar is not the ancestor of Agu pigs, and suggested that no maternal gene flow took place from the Ryukyu wild boar to the Agu pig population
Summary
The Agu is the only native pig breed in Japan, which is reared in Okinawa prefecture, the southernmost region in Japan. The reproductive perfor mances of Agu sows are as follows: total number born, number born alive and number weaned was 4.8, 4.1, and 3.3, respectively which was smaller than half the number of European breeds [1]. Despite their low growth performance and lean meat productivity, Agu pigs have good meat qualities such as a lower cooking loss and higher intramuscular fat content than com mercial pig breeds [2]. The details of the origins of the Agu are not yet understood, It is generally be lieved that the ancestors of the Agu pig were introduced from the Asian continent in the latter half of the 14th century when the ancient Kingdom of Okinawa began to trade with
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