Identification of Signatures of Selection for Intramuscular Fat in Two Duroc Populations

Abstract Text: Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is an important trait affecting the quality of pork. Two Duroc populations selected for IMF were used to identify signatures of selection associated with IMF. The effects of selection were analyzed between selected and control animals within each population using principal component analysis and F_ST using 60k SNPs. Moreover, extended haplotype homozygosity-based approaches were applied to account for the changes in haplotype frequency. Each statistical method revealed 10-20 selection signatures, which may reflect the regions under different footprints of selection. Out of these candidate regions, more than 10 selection signatures were confirmed by more than 2 methods or in both populations. Agreement of marker-trait associations and signatures of selection was limited and will be examined further. Identifying the regions involved in selection for IMF will be useful to find potential candidate genes underlying genetic improvement.

Keywords: genetics, intramuscular fat, pig, selection signatures