Polymorphism Of Exon 2 In Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7 Gene And Correlation Analysis With Sow Reproductive Traits

Bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) gene is a member of the transforming growth factor beta. It has been proposed to be an osteoinductive protein. Recent data have shown that BMP7 also plays a crucial role in the growth and development, and physiological function of reproductive system. To date, studies have shown an association between the BMP gene family and reproduction in many populations, but few studies have completely described this association in sow. Herein, three sow breeds were screened out to investigate the genetic effects of the BMP7 gene. Using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing, two polymorphic sites (c.517C>T and c. 562C>T) were detected. Correlation analysis with sow reproductive traits revealed that the c. 562C>T site had significant effects on litter weight at 21 days, indicating that BMP7 gene could be regarded as a potential candidate gene locus for litter size trait. The data will provide a background for more extensive characterization of the BMP7 gene. And we can choose sows with this gene for swine breeding in order to improve the sow farrowing performance, especially the litter weight at 21 days.