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5 June 2018 A prognostic method for the litter size in Berkshire pigs based on DNA methylation of IGFBP4 gene
Seulgi Kwon, Sang Mi An, Go Eun Yu, Jung Hye Hwang, Da Hye Park, Deok Gyeong Kang, Tae Wan Kim, Hwa Chun Park, Jeongim Ha, Chul Wook Kim
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Abstract

Litter size is an important trait in the pig industry. Therefore, a lot of effort has been put into improving this trait. DNA methylation is an essential epigenetic modification present in unique DNA sequences. Alterations in methylation can affect transcription and phenotypic variation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of DNA methylation on litter size. Methylation-specific restriction enzymes are simple and useful tools for detecting DNA methylation status. We used a pair of methylation-sensitive isoschizomers, which have the same recognition site, HpaII and MspI. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4 (IGFBP4) is a key regulator of ovarian follicular development and fetal growth in eutherian mammals. In this study, we discovered that IGFBP4 was hyper-methylated in the uterus tissue of a larger litter size group using bisulfite sequencing, and validated the positive relationship between the methylation status of IGFBP4 and the total number born of pigs using the porcine methylation-specific restriction enzyme polymerase chain reaction (PMP) assay. We suggest that the IGFPB4 gene can be used as a prognostic biomarker for hyperprolific sows and that the PMP assay is a useful tool for methylation status screening.

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Seulgi Kwon, Sang Mi An, Go Eun Yu, Jung Hye Hwang, Da Hye Park, Deok Gyeong Kang, Tae Wan Kim, Hwa Chun Park, Jeongim Ha, and Chul Wook Kim "A prognostic method for the litter size in Berkshire pigs based on DNA methylation of IGFBP4 gene," Canadian Journal of Animal Science 98(4), 845-851, (5 June 2018). https://doi.org/10.1139/cjas-2017-0160
Received: 28 September 2017; Accepted: 15 May 2018; Published: 5 June 2018
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KEYWORDS
Berkshire pigs
DNA methylation
IGFBP4
litter size
PMP assay
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