Oviduct-specific glycoprotein 1 locus is associated with litter size and weight of ovaries in pigs

Oviduct-specific glycoprotein 1 (OVGP1) is implicated in playing a role in fertilization and early embryo development. In this study, we have obtained the sequence-of intron 9 of OVGP1 gene in swine.. Comparative sequencing of Meishan (a native Chinese breed) and Large White pig breeds revealed an A/T substitution at position 943. A PCR-EcoRI-RFLP assay was developed to detect this mutation. Polymorphism analysis in Qingping animals showed that pigs with BB genotype had lower number of piglets born alive (NBA) in multiple parities than pigs with AA (p < 0.05) and AB genotype (p < 0.01). In Large WhitexMeishan (LWxM) F-2 offspring, the weight of both ovaries (OW) of the BB genotype was significantly lighter than that of AB (p = 0.05) and AA (p < 0.01) genotypes. Analysis of the data also revealed that the mutation locus affected these two traits mostly by additive effects. These studies indicated that the polymorphism was associated with NBA and OW in two distinct populations and further investigations in more purebreds or crossbreds are needed to confirm these results.