The objective of this study was to characterize follistatin (FOL) as a candidate gene for litter size in pigs. Litter size is a lowly heritable and sex-limited trait; therefore, response to selection may be enhanced by marker-assisted selection. Our approach for characterizing a region of SSC16, which includes FOL, was to utilize the candidate gene approach using type I and type II markers to determine if FOL had an association with the response to selection for increased litter size in the select line. Pigs genotyped were from a line selected for increased number of fully formed (FF) pigs and a contemporary control line. In generation nine, the estimated breeding value for litter size was 0.63 pigs greater in the select line than in the control line (Holl et al., 2003). A RFLP within FOL (n = 251) and the microsatellites, CGT27 (n = 224), S0363 (n=255), S0298 (n=260), and SW1661 (n=253) were genotyped. Effect of marker genotype on FF, number born alive (BA), number still born (SB), and number mummified fetuses (MUM) was tested. Data were analyzed by line with an animal model using MTDFREML. Fixed effects included year and marker genotype. In both the select and control lines, all markers had no significant affect on FF, BA, SB, or MUM when using the animal model. Therefore, follistatin is not likely to have a major effect on litter size in the population studied.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NCSU/oai:NCSU:etd-08032005-105553 |
| Date | 04 August 2005 |
| Creators | Boyette, Keri Evelyn |
| Contributors | Dr. H.C. Liu, Dr. Gene Eisen, Dr. Joseph Cassady, Dr. Melissa Ashwell |
| Publisher | NCSU |
| Source Sets | North Carolina State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-08032005-105553/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to NC State University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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