GENETIC VARIATION OF THE HEART FATTY ACID-BINDING PROTEIN GENE AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS WITH MEAT QUALITY IN NATIVE BLACK PIG OF VIET NAM

N. Van Anh, N. Thi Dieu Thuy, N. Quoc Tuyen, N. Thi Thu, N. Van Cuong

Abstract: The objective of this work was to investigate the genetic variation of heart fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) gene and their associations with meat quality in Vietnamese Native black pigs. For these purposes, 242 pigs from one Native black pig (NBP) breed (n = 132) and two exotic breeds of Landrace (n = 55) and Yorkshire (n = 55) were included in the analysis of the polymorphisms of a fragment on intron 2 of H-FABP gene by the sequencing and PCR-RFLP method. The effects of genotypes on intramuscular fat (IMF) content and backfat thickness (BFT) were evaluated in 105 NBPs. The sequencing results detected in NBP seven single nucleotide polymorphisms, of which the mutation T1556C created a new restriction site for the enzyme MspI. Genotyping H-FABP by MspI RFLP method had detected three alleles A, a and B in NBPs, whereas in exotic breeds of Yorkshire and Landrace only two alleles A and a were found. The frequency of new allele B in NBPs was 0.09. The allelic frequencies scored for H-FABP gene at HaeIII site are significantly different between NBP and two exotic breeds (p<0.01). Evaluating the effects of genotypes at MspI and HaeIII loci on IMF content and BFT in NBPs indicated that the novel SNP at position 1556th bp was significantly associated with IMF (p<0.05). Allele B seemed to be associated with increase in intramuscular fat. However, additional work to confirm the use of this marker in selection programmes is needed.

Keywords: H-FABP gene; IMF; meat quality; SNP polymorphisms; Vietnamese pigs

Date published: 2019-01-28