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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 #131386
Title: BRIEF NOTE. MAPPING OF THE PORCINE AREG AND EGF GENES TO SSC8

Author
item Kim, Jong
item Vallet, Jeff
item Rohrer, Gary
item Christenson, Ronald

Submitted to: Animal Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/6/2002
Publication Date: 8/1/2002
Citation: KIM, J.G., VALLET, J.L., ROHRER, G.A., CHRISTENSON, R.K. BRIEF NOTE. MAPPING OF THE PORCINE AREG AND EGF GENES TO SSC8. ANIMAL GENETICS. 2002. v. 33(4). p. 314-315.

Interpretive Summary: Uterine capacity is a component trait contributing to litter size in the pig. The amphiregulin and epidermal growth factor (EGF) genes may influence uterine capacity because of its growth-promoting activities. We have reported full coding regions of the porcine amphiregulin (GenBank accession no. AY028310) and the epidermal growth factor (EGF) precursor cDNAs (GenBank accession no. AF336151) previously. Using three microsatellite markers for amphiregulin and one microsatellite marker for EGF, amphiregulin was mapped at position 65 cM and EGF was mapped at position 84 cM on chromosome 8 in the Meat Animal Research Center swine linkage map. The locations are near the uterine capacity quantitative trait locus on chromosome 8. These results support amphiregulin and EGF as the candidate genes for uterine capacity. These findings will aid in the study of the role of amphiregulin and EGF in uterine capacity and litter size in the pig.

Technical Abstract: Uterine capacity is a component trait contributing to litter size in the pig. The amphiregulin and epidermal growth factor (EGF) genes may influence uterine capacity because of its growth-promoting activities. We have reported full coding regions of the porcine amphiregulin (GenBank Accession No. AY028310) and the epidermal growth factor (EGF) precursor cDNAs (GenBank Accession No. AF336151) previously. Using these sequences, primer were designed to generate probes to screen a porcine Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) library (RPCI-44). BAC clones for each gene were isolated, digested with Sau3AI and subcloned into BamHI digested SK Bluescript. Three microsatellite sequences for amphiregulin (SB64, SB65, and SB66) and one microsatellite sequence for EGF (SB67) were identified. Numbers of CA-repeats were 11, 17, 15 and 21 for SB64, SB65, SB 66 and SB67, respectively. The allele sizes at each locus were determined by examining 7 litters from 2 boars and 7 sows from the MARC Swine Reference Population. Amplification of genomic DNA from pigs in the reference population revealed 6 (including one null allele), 5, 6 and 8 (including one null allele) alleles for SB64, SB65, SB66 and SB67, respectively. Number of informative meioses were 135, 136, 154 and 57 for SB64, SB65, SB66 and SB67, respectively. Haplotyping SB64, SB65, and SB66 microsatellite markers provided 171 informative meioses for amphiregulin yielding a maximum two point LOD = 43.35 with S0017 at 0 recombination. Multipoint analysis placed amphiregulin at position 65 cM on chromosome 8 in the MARC swine linkage map. SB67 provided 57 informative meioses for EGF yielding a maximum LOD = 15.05 with SW2160 at 0 recombination. EGF was mapped to position 84 cM on chromosome 8 in the MARC swine linkage map.