Genetic antigens help predict the number of children in a pig litter

The size or number of children in a larger litter is always better, especially when it becomes a piglet.

Scientists together with the US Animal Research Center of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Neb have identified a genetic antigen that helps pig farmers choose those that have the ability to increase the number of children in a litter of pigs. This genetic discovery provides an effective step in raising pigs.

So how does this genetic antigen work? Lead researcher Jeffrey L. Vallet and his colleagues discovered the polymorphism of a single corresponding gene called SNP, the receptor gene for erythrocytes. Hococmon stimulates red blood cells to bind to this gene and stimulates the production of red blood cells.

(Photo: US Department of Agriculture) SNPs are genetic variants that provide information about the genetic classification of animals and are used in breeding programs. In studies of two different types of pigs, scientists have shown that SNP has been discovered in combination with increasing the size of pigs, which is an important characteristic for pig breeding technology. .

According to the study, for example, SNP produces either the corresponding T gene or the C-gene, which is a gene-modifying form that can control traits such as human hair color and eye color. While, for pigs, sows with isotropic genes T have an average number of children in a litter of 1 or 2 children larger than the average litter size of sows with the corresponding gene C

The corresponding gene T is less likely to appear in the pig strain studied, but is a beneficial genetic difference. Hence it is how it can be used to improve the number of pigs

Vallet and Bradley A. Freking developed an experiment to detect SNP in individual sows. The ability to quickly identify useful SNP genes will help pig farmers choose sows capable of increasing the number of children in a litter, thus helping to improve production efficiency.

ARS is the leading scientific research agency of the US Department of Agriculture

Anh Phuong