Influence of ESR1 and FSHB genes on litter size in Czech Large White sows (short communication)

The effects of the candidate genes for reproduction, the estrogen receptor gene (ESR1) and the follicle-stimulating hormone beta subunit gene (FSHB), on the performance of Large White sows in the three different herds have been examined. A total number of 271 sows (in case of the ESR1 gene) and 171 sows (in case of the FSHB gene) were genotyped with PCR-RFLP method and analysed to determine whether polymorphisms of the genes influence the efficiency of Large White sows. The influence of these genes in the first, the first to the fourth and the second to the fourth litters was investigated. To discover the genes ´ associations with reproduction traits, mixed linear models were used. The influence of ESR1 and FSHB genes was not very conclusive in the studied populations. The influence of these genes was different depending on the herd, in which the sows were bred or on the set of analyzed litters