Abstract:
In this study, selection signal analysis methods were used to screen candidate genes related to important economic traits in both American and Danish Duroc pigs. A total of 33 healthy adult American Duroc boars and 11 Danish Duroc boars with consistent feeding management levels were selected, and their genomes were extracted and sequenced. A combined analysis of F
st and P
i were used to retain candidate regions, and performed GO functional and KEGG enrichment analyses on annotated genes to further screen candidate genes related to important economic traits. The average sequencing depth of whole-genome resequencing for American and Danish Duroc pigs was above 13×, the average effective rate of sequencing data was 99.82%, the average Q30 score was 91.91% and 91.93%, and the G+C content was between 42.90%-43.83% and 42.48%-43.55%, indicating that the quality of this sequencing data was high. A 5% screening threshold was used to associate F
st & P
i with related candidate regions and detected selective signals using the selective sweep method. The F
st values between American Duroc pigs and Danish Duroc pigs were 0.268, the θ
π ratio values were 0.495 and-1.415, and the P
i values were 4.206 and 3.506, respectively. In the selective sweep analysis of American Duroc pigs, 557 selected regions were identified and annotated to 1 323 genes; while in Danish Duroc pigs, 207 selected regions were identified and annotated to 338 genes. Five candidate genes related to sperm maturation, adipogenesis, and reproductive functions were preliminarily screened by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses in both American and Danish populations, including ERLIN2, TMCO2, PITX2, SORCS3, and SUFU. Fifteen candidate genes related to meat quality, fat synthesis and metabolism, sperm maturation, growth and development, bone development, and feed efficiency were screened in American Duroc pigs, including ATP1B1, LAMA4, EP300, ELOVL3, ECHS1, THEME5, PIP5K1A, PPT1, UBQLN1, IL2, CNTFR, ITGA10, SEC24D, MAP3K5, and HSP90B1. Four candidate genes related to milk production, meat quality, skeletal muscle, and feed efficiency were screened in Danish Duroc pigs, including PDIA3, CBLIN2, CYCS, and CDH7, as well as 5 candidate genes related to reproductive traits in Danish Duroc pigs, including BMI1, LHX8, ELL3, CATSPER2, and CSMD1, respectively. This study reveals significant genetic differentiation between American Duroc pig population and Danish Duroc pig population, providing genomic data support for further investigation into the genetic characteristics of Duroc boars.