Animal Science and Food Technology

 Selection in pig breeding involves a set of measures that ensure the development of animal productivity through the improvement of the animal treats, herds and breeds. Effective breeding is not possible without the involvement of new approaches that predict animal DNA genotyping by chosen polymorphisms. Cathepsine F (CTSF) is the potential candidate for marker-assosiated selection, which directly participates in fat storing processes and meat quality in pigs. The genetic structure of Ukrainian Large White, Poltava Meaty, Ukrainian Large Black and Mirgorodska pig breeds for cathepsin F gene (CTSF g.22 G> C SNP) was determined, and basic population parameters were established. In all populations, the genetic marker was characterized by polymorphism with the predominance of the g.22C allele frequency. The level of informatively of CTSF g.22 G> C SNP was found at the optimal level for associative analysis (PIC = 0.358-0.375), which allows to invest to the research of marker association studies with traits. In the subpopulation of Ukrainian Large White pig breed, the analysis of the genetic marker CTSF g.22 G> C SNP was studied by following traits: the age for reaching live weight of 100 kg, the thickness of the backfat at the level of 6th - 7th rib, 10- th ribs, in the sacrum area and the average daily weight gain. A tendency towards the association of the CTSF g.22 G> C genetic marker with the age parameter for reaching live weight of 100 kg (p = 0.07) has been established. The studied populations of pig breeds can be used for associative researches in order to find assosiations between genetical markers and meat, backfat quality parameters.

pigs, breeds, SNP, genetic structure, gene of cathepsin F