Microsatellite markers in the study of polymorphism of domestic pig breeds (Sus scrofa domesticus)

Abstract

Using 13 tetra- and 7 dinucleotide microsatellites, we studied the polymorphism of 6 breeds of pigs - Belarusian large white (BLW), Belarusian meat (BM), Belarusian black motley (BBM), Landrace (LR), Yorkshire (YR) and Duroc (DR), which are bred in Belarus. A high level of genetic polymorphism is shown for all breeds, with the exception of the DR breed. For 6 breeds, a low level of inbreeding is shown. Alleles peculiar only to these breeds were found in the gene pools of all the studied breeds. This fact confirms the importance of preserving local breeds for maintaining polymorphism in domestic pigs as a whole. Estimation of genetic distances reveals a significant contribution of the commercial European breeds of Landrace and Yorkshire, however, the evolutionary paths of all three native breeds differ.