A genome-wide association study of important reproduction traits in large white pigs

Augmenting the reproductive efficiency of sows remains the predominant challenge in the swine industry. This work was aimed at scrutinizing vital genetic markers for reproductive traits in this animal. This entailed probing of the records of vital attributes of Large White pigs (n = 695) inclusive of the total number of born (TNB), number of born alive (NBA), number of weaned pigs (NWP), number of healthy births (NHS), total litter weight of piglets born alive (BALWT), weaning litter weight (WNWT), and corrected litter weight at 21 days (W21). A genome-wide association study (GWAS) for the four litter traits and three traits of litter weight in the Denmark Large White population then ensued. We discovered seven significantly related SNPs and eleven potential candidate genes (e.g., TUSC3, THRB for TNB; STT3B for NBA). The subsequent functional enrichment analysis of these genes showed that the significant gene were associated with steroid hormone receptor activity. Our findings indicated that the genes TUSC3, THRB and STT3B probably contribute to litter traits in this population. This work reveals genetic mechanisms of reproduction traits and also supports ensuing genetic improvement employing marker-assisted selection in Large White pigs.