Identification of a single nucleotide promoter polymorphism regulating the transcription of ubiquitin specific protease 18 gene related to the resistance to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection

•Promoter activity was significantly higher in Chinese indigenous Dapulian (DPL) than in Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) commercial pigs.•Deletion of the promoter from −1790 to −1314 bp decreased the transcriptional activity by roughly 60%.•A SNP G–1533A increased the mRNA expression both prior to and post PRRSV infection in MARC-145 cells.•Allele A was only detected in Chinese pig breeds that are generally resistant to PRRSV.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), characterized by reproductive failure in sows and respiratory disease and mortality in piglets, is a major infectious disease that causes great economic loss throughout the world. Previous studies revealed that the overexpression of porcine ubiquitin specific protease 18 (USP18) gene inhibits PRRSV replication in vitro. The objective of this study is to compare the promoter activity of USP18 in Chinese indigenous Dapulian (DPL) pigs and Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) commercial pigs and screen single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) affecting porcine USP18 transcription. We found that the promoter activity was significantly higher in DPL pigs than DLY commercial pigs (p < 0.05), deletion of the promoter from –1790 to –1314 bp decreased the transcriptional activity by roughly 60% (p < 0.05) and a SNP G–1533A in this region increased the mRNA expression both prior to and post PRRSV infection in MARC-145 cells. Population genetics analysis showed that allele A was only detected in Chinese pig breeds which are generally resistant to PRRSV. These results suggest that the SNP G–1533A polymorphism in the promoter region of porcine USP18 gene is a potential DNA marker for the resistance to PRRSV.