Novel Haplotype in the <i>HHEX</i> Gene Promoter Associated with Body Length in Pigs

Yabiao Luo; Qiao Xu; Mingming Xue; Yubei Wang; Xiaoyang Yang; Shuheng Chan; Qiguo Tang; Feng Wang; Ruiping Sun; Zhe Chao; Meiying Fang

doi:10.3390/genes14020511

Genes (Feb 2023)

Novel Haplotype in the <i>HHEX</i> Gene Promoter Associated with Body Length in Pigs

Yabiao Luo,
Qiao Xu,
Mingming Xue,
Yubei Wang,
Xiaoyang Yang,
Shuheng Chan,
Qiguo Tang,
Feng Wang,
Ruiping Sun,
Zhe Chao,
Meiying Fang

Affiliations

Yabiao Luo: Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, MOA Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Genetic Improvement, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Qiao Xu: Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, MOA Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Genetic Improvement, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Mingming Xue: Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, MOA Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Genetic Improvement, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Yubei Wang: Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, MOA Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Genetic Improvement, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Xiaoyang Yang: Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, MOA Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Genetic Improvement, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Shuheng Chan: Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, MOA Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Genetic Improvement, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Qiguo Tang: Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, MOA Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Genetic Improvement, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Feng Wang: Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Hainan Academy of Agricultural Science, Haikou 571100, China
Ruiping Sun: Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Hainan Academy of Agricultural Science, Haikou 571100, China
Zhe Chao: Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Hainan Academy of Agricultural Science, Haikou 571100, China
Meiying Fang: Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, MOA Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Beijing Key Laboratory for Animal Genetic Improvement, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14020511
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 14, no. 2
p. 511

Abstract

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The screening of important candidate genes and the identification of genetic markers are important for molecular selection in the pig industry. The hematopoietically expressed homeobox (HHEX) gene plays an important role in embryonic development and organogenesis; however, the genetic variation and expression pattern of the porcine HHEX gene remains to be clarified. In this study, semiquantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry results showed the specific expression of the HHEX gene in porcine cartilage tissues. A novel haplotype consisting of two SNPs rs80901185 (T > C) and rs80934526 (A > G) was detected in the promoter region of the HHEX gene. The expression of the HHEX gene was significantly higher in Yorkshire pigs (TA haplotype) than in Wuzhishan pigs (CG haplotype), and a population analysis showed that this haplotype was significantly associated with body length. An analysis subsequently revealed that the –586 to –1 bp region of the HHEX gene promoter showed the highest activity. Furthermore, we found that the activity of the TA haplotype was significantly higher than that of the CG haplotype by changing the potential binding of transcription factors YY1 and HDAC2. In summary, we conclude that the porcine HHEX gene may contribute to the breeding of pigs for body length traits.

Published in Genes

ISSN: 2073-4425 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General): Genetics
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/genes/

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