Polymorphisms and expression analysis of SOX-6 in relation to porcine growth, carcass, and meat quality traits.

The aim of the study was to investigate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and expression of SOX-6 to support its candidacy for growth, carcass, and meat quality traits in pigs. The first SNP, rs81358375, was associated with pH 45 min post mortem in loin (pH1 L ), the thickness of backfat and side fat, and carcass length in Pietrain (Pi) population, and related with backfat thickness and daily gain in Duroc × Pietrain F 2 (DuPi) population. The other SNP, rs321666676, was associated with meat colour in Pi population. In DuPi population, the protein, not mRNA, level of SOX-6 in high pH1 L pigs was significantly less abundant compared with low pH1 L pigs, where microRNAs targeting SOX-6 were also differently regulated. This paper shows that SOX-6 could be a potential candidate gene for porcine growth, carcass, and meat quality traits based on genetic association and gene expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]