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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Livestock Bio-Systems » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #336674
Title: USMARC update on swine reproduction research

Author
item Nonneman, Danny - Dan
item Lents, Clay
item Keel, Brittney
item Rohrer, Gary

Submitted to: Plant and Animal Genome Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/31/2016
Publication Date: 1/18/2017
Citation: Nonneman, D.J., Lents, C.A., Keel, B.N., Rohrer, G.A. 2017. USMARC update on swine reproduction research. Plant and Animal Genome Conference. [Abstract] In Proceedings: Plant and Animal Genome XXV Conference, Jan. 14-18, 2017. San Diego, CA. W914.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Swine research at USMARC has continued to focus on meat quality, improvement of genomic resources and reproduction, specifically estrus traits, sow longevity and lifetime productivity. This report will focus on research in behavioral anestrus in gilts. Gilts that reach puberty at an earlier age are more likely to stay in the herd longer. Ten to 30% of gilts never produce a litter and most are culled for anestrus or failure to conceive. This study evaluated ovaries of gilts at harvest that failed to show estrus by 240 days after boar exposure. About half of the gilts examined were prepubertal and the other half had experienced at least one ovarian cycle without showing estrous. Illumina genotypes were collected on 370 behavioral anestrus cases and 770 pubertal sibling controls and analyzed using DFAM. Eight loci were associated with behavioral anestrus. Candidate genes in these regions include olfactory receptor OR1J1, ABLIM1, NTRK2 and TDRD9. Genomic sequence is being examined in founders of this population for functional variants for further evaluation.