Association of EphrinB2 gene polymorphism with litter size in pigs

Abstract

EphrinB2, a transmembrane ligand for Eph receptor tyrosine kinases, was one of the potential candidate genes for reproductive traits in pigs. In the study, one single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) locus in Exon 4 of EphrinB2 gene was analyzed to determine whether EphrinB2 influenced total number born (TNB) and number born alive (NBA) in pigs. Association of two diallelic polymorphisms with reproductive traits was assessed in Landrace, Yorkshire and Duroc populations with 1,023 litter records of 485 pigs. The results showed that C allele at EphrinB2 locus seemed to have advantageous effects on litter size. The results in this study demonstrated that EphrinB2 gene was significantly (P < 0.05) associated with litter size in pigs. Further studies were needed to confirm these preliminary researches. © 2012 Springer-Verlag GmbH.