Allelic diversity of growth hormone gene in a commercial pig population using single nucleotide polymorphism.

Due to the cost and technical skills required for molecular genetics studies, sequence data and genetic diversity information from livestock species are scarce in Nigeria. Our recent study was therefore conducted to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) obtainable in a commercial pig population in Sapele, Delta State, Nigeria. We collected liver samples from 14 growing pigs that were randomly selected from a pig farm and stored using RNALater solution (Qiagen) in a -20oc freezer prior to DNA extraction. DNA concentration and purity was checked using a spectrophotometer while PCR product was confirmed with gel electrophoresis. Primer was designed using the Primer 3 design tool as deployed on NCBI (NCBI 2022). The PCR product was cleaned and sequenced using BioEdit software, sequence data was aligned using MUSCLE algorithm on MEGA version X software, SNP calling, and frequency estimation was executed on GenAlEx 6.503 software. Single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in 216 loci of the growth hormone gene beginning from locus 11 to locus 459. A maximum of three alleles were obtained in all polymorphic loci. The allelic frequencies obtained for locus 11 was C0.14:G0.86, C0.07:G0.79: T0.14 for locus 31 and G0.93:T0.07 for locus 459. Haploid diversity records of 2.15 ± 0.03, 1.30 ± 0.01, 0.37 ± 0.01, 0.21 ± 0.01, and 0.23 ± 0.01 for mean number of alleles, information index, population diversity and unbiased diversity of the population by locus. The SNP identified in this study showed that the diversity of the population studied is not genetically distant among individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]