Detection of Quantitative Trait Loci Associated with Several Internal Organ Traits and Teat Number Trait in a Pig Population

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) were detected for 8 internal organ traits, 3 carcass length traits, and teat number trait in 214 pigs in a resource population that included 180 F2 individuals. A total of 39 microsatellite markers were examined on SSC4, SSC6, SSC7, SSC8, and SSC13. The genetic traits included heart weight (HW), lung weight (LW), liver and gallbladder weight (LGW), spleen weight (SPW), stomach weight (STW), small intestine weight (SIW), large intestine weight (LIW), kidney weight (KW), carcass length to the first cervical vertebra (CL1), carcass length to the first thoracic vertebra (CL2), rib numbers (RNS), and teat numbers (TNS). Results indicated that, 3 highly significant QTL (P ≤ 0.01 at chromosome-wise level) for HW (at 30 cM on SSC6), RNS (at 115 cM on SSC7), TNS (at 110 cM on SSC7), and 6 significant QTL (P ≤ 0.05 at chromosome-wise level) for LW (at 119 cM on SSC13), LGW (at 94 cM on SSC6), SPW (at 106 cM on SSC8), SIW (0 cM on SSC4), LIW (170 cM on SSC 4), and TNS (at 95 cM on SSC6) were detected. The phenotypic variances for which these QTL were accounted ranged from 0.04 % to 14.06 %. Most of these QTL had not been previously reported.