Identification of loci affecting teat number by genome-wide association studies on three pig populations

OBJECTIVE Three genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and a meta-analysis of GWAS were conducted to explore the genetic mechanisms underlying variation in pig teat number. METHODS We performed three GWAS and a meta-analysis for teat number on three pig populations, including a White Duroc×Erhualian F2 resource population (n = 1,743), a Chinese Erhualian pig population (n = 320) and a Chinese Sutai pig population (n = 383). RESULTS We detected 24 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that surpassed the genome-wide significant level on Sus Scrofa chromosomes (SSC) 1, 7, and 12 in the F2 resource population, corresponding to four loci for pig teat number. We highlighted vertnin (VRTN) and lysine demethylase 6B (KDM6B) as two interesting candidate genes at the loci on SSC7 and SSC12. No significant associated SNPs were identified in the meta-analysis of GWAS. CONCLUSION The results verified the complex genetic architecture of pig teat number. The causative variants for teat number may be different in the three populations.