PIGENDEF

Towards marker assisted selection against genetic defects in pigs

 Partecipanti

Mappa

 Word cloud

Esplora la "nuvola delle parole (Word Cloud) per avere un'idea di massima del progetto.

 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The project focuses on the rapid identification of genes underlying congenital disorders in pigs for effective marker assisted selection (MAS) against genetic defects. The occurrence of congenital hereditary disorders is a significant problem for pig producers and selection compagnies and leads to poor animal welfare and severe economic loss. For most of these defects there are strong indications for a genetic component and different research groups all over Europe have made efforts to find the underlying causative genetic mechanisms. However, the mode of inheritance seems complex and no genes or mutations have been identified yet. This project aims to group the efforts of different research groups that are currently working on inherited genetic defects in pigs. Through this collaboration a faster identification of the genes and suitable gene markers for use in marker assisted selection against defects in pigs will be obtained. Thereafter, these markers can be implemented in the breeding programs of the different SME partners and can (later) be commercialised, which will improve the competitive position of the SME partners.'

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Congenital diseases are quite common in swine and they cover a wide range of undesirable conditions, including hernias, anatomical defect and ataxia.

These abnormalities lead to poor animal welfare and economic losses, posing a significant problem for pig producers and breeding companies.The aim of the EU-funded 'Towards marker assisted selection against genetic defects in pigs' (http://www.pigendef.eu (PIGENDEF)) project was to provide insight into the genetic background of congenital genetic defects in pigs.

The consortium consisted of scientific groups and companies active in pig breeding.

The research was focused on three swine defects, namely inguinal hernia, umbilical hernia and cryptorchidism, and the plan was to identify associated genes.To this end, researchers performed genome-wide association studies (GWASs) in porcine samples from Belgium and Norway for genetic markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) linked with a predisposition to the aforementioned defects.

Over 120 SNPs associated with umbilical hernia were located on chromosomes 5 and 14, which were identified as significant quantitative trait locus regions.

Two genes on chromosome 14 were found to contain some significant SNPs in the Norwegian swine lines.This SNP panel was formulated into a genetic test and will be implemented for selection against the prevalence of umbilical hernia in Norway's breeding programmes.

This is expected to improve the efficiency and profitability of animal production and, therefore, the competitiveness of the small business partners.

Under the overall framework of European policies on sustainability and on animal health and welfare, PIGENDEF partners envision a causative mutation for umbilical hernia to be identified in the immediate future.