Genetic influence on the number of pigs born live or dead

Stillborn

Mummified piglets

A genome-wide association study was then performed for these traits in parity groups of 1 to 5.

Results

They found 10 regions associated with these characters and identified 8 independent signals for the variables under study and 7 related promising candidate genes, including:

ARID1A, RXRG, NFATC4, ABTB2, GRAMD1B, NDRG1 and APC

The findings contribute to the understanding of significant genetic causes of live and dead piglets and could have a positive effect on pig production efficiency and economic gains.

The genomic structures of live-born and dead-born Duroc piglets were different between parities.

Reference:

Zitao, C., Shaopan, Y., Jinyan, T., Shuqi, D., Xialong, Y., Zanmou, C., Hao Z., Jiaqi, L., Zhe, Z. Genome-wide association studies for the number of animals born alive and dead in duroc pigs. 2019. Elsevier. Theriogenology. Volume 139, pages 36-42.