CattleNetwork.com, KS
12-06-07
Iowa State Releases Pig DNA Marker Technology
Pork producers nationwide now have access to genetic markers associated with
growth, leanness and meat quality.
The Iowa State University Foundation has inked a licensing agreement with
Lincoln, Neb.-based GeneSeek, to license the use of DNA markers in four genes,
all of which have been tested and commercially validated by a large pig breeding
company, the National Pork Board (NPB) reported.
The first gene marker is MC4R, which controls growth and leanness; the second
is PRKAG3, which concerns pH levels and meat color; the third is CAST, which
plays a role in tenderness and meat quality; and the fourth is HMGA1, which is
highly associated with backfat and lean growth.
The effect of the genes is additive, and they can be maximized by using them in
combination, NPB noted.
"More DNA markers and DNA marker technology are not too far down the road,"
Mark Boggess, director of animal science for NPB, said in a press release.
NPB supported the international effort to sequence the swine genome, and is
sponsoring research to develop more genomic technologies for the pork industry.
The four markers made available by Iowa State University precede the current
effort to sequence the swine genome, but they are an indication of how this
research can be applicable on the farm," Boggess said. "Included in our research
priorities is a groundbreaking study [of] pigs' ability to resist or better tolerate
disease agents, specifically porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome
virus."
By Tom Johnston on Thursday, December 06, 2007 For Meatingplace.com.