Genome-wide association study of the backfat thickness trait in two pig populations

Backfat thickness is a good predictor of carcass lean content, an economically important trait, and a main breeding target in pig improvement. In this study, the candidate genes and genomic regions associated with the tenth rib backfat thickness trait were identified in two independent pig populations, using a genome-wide association study of porcine 60K SNP genotype data applying the compressed mixed linear model (CMLM) statistical method. For each population, 30 most significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected and SNP annotation implemented using Sus scrofa Build 10.2. In the first population, 25 significant SNPs were distributed on seven chromosomes, and SNPs on SSC1 and SSC7 showed great significance for fat deposition. The most significant SNP (ALGA0006623) was located on SSC1, upstream of the MC4R gene. In the second population, 27 significant SNPs were recognized by annotation, and 12 SNPs on SSC12 were related to fat deposition. Two haplotype blocks, M1GA0016251-MARC0075799 and ALGA0065251-MARC0014203-M1GA0016298-ALGA0065308, were detected in significant regions where the PIPNC1 and GH1 genes were identified as contributing to fat metabolism. The results indicated that genetic mechanism regulating backfat thickness is complex, and that genome-wide associations can be affected by populations with different genetic backgrounds