Effects of LEP, GYS1, MYOD1, and MYF5 polymorphisms on pig economic traits

In the present study, we examined the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of leptin (LEP), skeletal muscle glycogen synthase (GYS1), myogenic differentiation 1 (MYOD1), and myogenic factor 5 (MYF5) genes on economic trait association in pigs. LEP/HindIII, MYOD1/DdeI, MYF5/FokI, and GYS1/FokI genotypes were identified by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) from 466 pigs comprised of Duroc, Landrace and Yorkshire breeds. The LEP/HindIII polymorphism differed significantly with respect to average daily gain (ADG) in Duroc pigs (P<0.05). However, the GYS1/FokI polymorphism was not significantly associated with any trait. The MYOD1/DdeI polymorphism was significantly associated with both ADG and meat percentage (MP) in Duroc pigs, and ADG, backfat thickness (BFT) and feed efficiency (FE) in Landrace pigs, whereas the MYOD1/DdeI polymorphism was not significantly associated with any trait in Yorkshire pigs. In addition, the MYF5/FokI polymorphism revealed a close relationship with ADG in Duroc pigs. In conclusion, we believe that the SNPs within LEP, MYOD1 and MYF5 in certain pig breeds play important roles as potential genetic markers for economic traits of pigs.