Sequence variability, constraint and selection in the CD163 gene in pigs

Background: In this paper, we investigate sequence variability, evolutionary constraint, and selection on the CD163 gene in pigs. The pig CD163 gene is required for infection by porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), a serious pathogen with major impact on pig production. Results: We used targeted pooled sequencing of the exons of CD163 to detect sequence variants in 35,000 pigs of diverse genetic backgrounds and search for potential knock-out variants. We then used whole genome sequence data from three pig lines to calculate a variant intolerance score, which measures the tolerance of genes to protein coding variation, a selection test on protein coding variation over evolutionary time, and haplotype diversity statistics to detect recent selective sweeps during breeding.Conclusions: We performed a deep survey of sequence variation in the CD163 gene in domestic pigs. We found no potential knock-out variants. CD163 was moderately intolerant to variation, and showed evidence of positive selection in the lineage leading up to the pig, but no evidence of selective sweeps during breeding.