Polymorphism of Candidate Genes Related to the Number of Teat, Vertebrae and Ribs in Pigs

Prolactin receptor (PRLR) and vertnin (VRTN) gene is considered as genetic marker for teat, vertebrae and ribs number in pigs. In this study, the polymorphisms of these genes was investigated in Landrace, Yorkshire and Meishan purebred pigs. A total of 102 animals including 37 Landrace, 35 Yorkshire and 30 Meishan were collected from Thuy Phuong Pig Research and Development Center, Vietnam National Institute of Animal Science, Vietnam. Pig individuals were genotyped with PCR and PCR-RFLP methods. Allelic and genotypic frequencies were calculated. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was performed using χ2 -test. For PRLR, 3 genotypes (AA, AB and BB) were detected and the most abundant genotype was the heterozygous one. The frequencies of expected genotype AA were 0.35, 0.40, and 0.17 for Landrace, Yorkshire, and Meishan, respectively. Frequencies of allele A were 0.61 (Landrace), 0.69 (Yorkshire), and 0.59 (Meishan). The loci were in HWE for all group of pigs except Meishan. For VRTN, those values for QQ genotype were 0.30 (Landrace), 0.37 (Yorkshire), and 0.10 (Meishan), while Q allele frequencies were 0.43 (Landrace), 0.57 (Yorkshire), and 0.22 (Meishan). HWE was detected for Meishan Pig.