Release 59
(Apr 20, 2026)

Reference # 42264465 Details:

Authors:Feng X, Zhou X, Liang H, Li J, Yu M, Zhao S, Li X, Li X (Contact: lixiaoping@mail.hzau.edu.cn)
Affiliation:Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
Title:Integrative Multi-Omics Analysis Identifies Novel Enhancer Variants on SSC2 Associated With Backfat Thickness in Landrace Pigs
Journal:Animal Genetics, 2026, 57(3): e70141 DOI: 10.1002/age.70141
Abstract:

Backfat thickness is an economically important trait in pig production, yet the functional regulatory variants underlying it remain poorly characterized. Here, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for backfat thickness at 100 kg (BF100) in a large Landrace population (n = 5923) using 13.46 million imputed SNPs. We identified two significant quantitative trait loci (QTLs) on SSC2 (1.21-3.69 Mb; explaining 2.3% of phenotypic variance) and SSC12 (51.70-52.88 Mb; explaining 0.8% of phenotypic variance). While nonsynonymous SNPs were limited (16 variants), we prioritized functional non-coding variants by integrating high-resolution Hi-C interaction maps, epigenomic marks, and previously published enhancer and promoter annotation results from public backfat datasets. This multi-omics strategy revealed that the SSC2 QTL functions as an active three-dimensional regulatory hub, with over 20 enhancer-promoter loops physically engaging the promoters of IGF2, CTSD, TSPAN32, and TSSC4. Similarly, the SSC12 QTL formed more than 10 long-range interactions with the promoters of ASGR1, YBX2, GPS2, MDPU1, and TP53. Focusing on SSC2, we prioritized two tightly linked SNPs (2-1280617 and 2-1280654) located within a putative enhancer, representing two major haplotypes. Dual-luciferase reporter assays in PK15 and 3T3-L1 cells confirmed that the GG haplotype drives significantly higher transcriptional activity than the AT haplotype (p < 0.001). Consistently, pigs carrying the GG haplotype exhibited significantly lower backfat thickness. By integrating multi-omics and functional assays, this study not only decodes the regulatory architecture of two backfat QTLs but also provides new molecular markers for genetic improvement in Landrace breeding.

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