Edinburgh Research Archive logo

Edinburgh Research Archive

University of Edinburgh homecrest
View Item 
  •   ERA Home
  • Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
  • Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies thesis and dissertation collection
  • View Item
  •   ERA Home
  • Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
  • Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies thesis and dissertation collection
  • View Item
  • Login
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Genetics of litter size and prenatal survival in pigs

View/Open
Hernandez Velasco2012.docx (27.09Mb)
Hernandez Velasco2012.pdf (3.789Mb)
Date
30/06/2012
Author
Hernández Velasco, Silvia Clara
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
Female reproductive performance is a critical component of sustainable pig production systems. There is abundant evidence of genetic variation in these traits among pig breeds. The aims of this study were to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting reproductive traits and to identify and characterise positional candidate gene(s) underlying the QTL. A Large White - Meishan F2 population was scanned for QTL with effects on reproductive traits. This analysis revealed 13 putative QTLs on seven different chromosomes with effects on five different traits: ovulation rate (OR), teat number (TN), prenatal survival (PS), total born alive (TBA) and litter size (LS). QTL for PS and LS on chromosome 8 were fine mapped and Secreted Phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) confirmed as a candidate gene. A genome-wide association study was performed on a diverse population of different breeds and crosses lines, for reproductive traits including LS, TBA, number of stillborn piglets, and number of mummified piglets. Fourteen SNPs were found significantly associated with reproductive traits. The functional study of SPP1 examined the hypothesis that differences in foetal growth may be associated with the effectiveness of conceptus attachment, as measured by SPP1 expression. Patterns of SPP1 mRNA and protein expression in placental and uterine tissues supplying the smallest and a normal-sized foetus from the same uterus were examined in Large White-Landrace (LW-LR), Large White (LW) and Meishan (MS) females 40 and 45 of pregnancy. The smallest LW-LR foetuses tended to have a higher level of SPP1 mRNA in endometrium tissue compared to the normal-sized foetuses. However, placenta expression was higher in the normal-sized foetuses compared to the smallest ones. SPP1 protein levels in normal sized foetuses were significantly higher than in the smallest litter mates for all the tissues. Significantly higher levels of SPP1 mRNA and protein were found in MS compared to LW. In both breeds, significant differences between sizes were found in some tissues, with similar expression patterns in respect to size, for both mRNA and protein in endometrial tissues when compared to contemporary LW. In placenta, the direction of the expression differed between breeds, with a higher expression of mRNA and protein in the normal-sized MS foetuses and in the smallest sized LW foetuses. The comparison of SPP1 expression between different foetal sizes and different breeds revealed associations between breed, foetal size, and SPP1 protein, factors implicated in PS and LS. These results together with the genetic evidence indicate that the potential role of SPP1 in placental and foetal development merits further investigation.
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6467
Collections
  • Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies thesis and dissertation collection

Library & University Collections HomeUniversity of Edinburgh Information Services Home
Privacy & Cookies | Takedown Policy | Accessibility | Contact
Privacy & Cookies
Takedown Policy
Accessibility
Contact
feed RSS Feeds

RSS Feed not available for this page

 

 

All of ERACommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsPublication TypeSponsorSupervisorsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsPublication TypeSponsorSupervisors
LoginRegister

Library & University Collections HomeUniversity of Edinburgh Information Services Home
Privacy & Cookies | Takedown Policy | Accessibility | Contact
Privacy & Cookies
Takedown Policy
Accessibility
Contact
feed RSS Feeds

RSS Feed not available for this page