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C K Tuggle

Publications and source records attributed to C K Tuggle.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

A directed search for quantitative trait loci on chromosomes 4 and 7 in pigs.

Improvements in the porcine genetic map and availability of resource families to study performance traits in pigs have made it possible to re-examine previous findings that linked certain traits to genes or chromosomal regions. Previous studies suggested that chromosomes 4 and 7 may be associated with growth and performance traits. To confirm these previous results, an interval mapping-regression approach was used to determine whether quantitative trait loci (QTL) exist in the Iowa State University reference/resource families. Traits measured were birth weight; body weight at 21 d; weaning weight (weight at 42 d); average daily gain; backfat at the first, 10th, lumbar, and last ribs and average backfat thickness; loin eye area; meat color; marbling; and firmness. The total number of F2 pigs used ranged from 241 to 330 and came from five Chinese x American resource families. Five markers (S0001, SW871, S0175, S0214, and SW445) were genotyped and mapped on chromosome 4, and so were 10 markers (S0064, tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNFalpha], S0102, S0078, S0158, S0066, SW304, SW1083, S0101, and S0212) on chromosome 7. Data were analyzed for each family (breed cross) separately and were also pooled. Experiment-wise thresholds were used to determine significance. Suggestive evidence of QTL on chromosomes 4 and 7 was observed for several traits in pooled and individual family analyses. Suggestive evidence of a QTL with a relatively large effect for average daily gain was detected on chromosome 4 in the pooled analysis. Significant (P < .05) evidence for QTL was seen on chromosome 7 for 10th-rib, last-rib, and average backfat thickness in the pooled data set in a region of the chromosome that was near TNFalpha. These results verify in part that chromosomes 4 and 7 contain QTL for growth and carcass traits.

Animals↗

Octamer function in the chicken lambda immunoglobulin light chain promoter.

The chicken immunoglobulin (Ig) lambda light chain promoter contains an octamer motif (-106) and a TATA box (-70). Two lymphoid cell lines, DT40 (B-cell line) and MSB1 (T-cell line), were used to test the activity of the germline promoter and the function of the octamer motif. The promoter was functional only in B cells in the presence of SV40 enhancer. Mutation of the octamer motif eliminated the transcriptional activity of the Ig promoter. These results suggest that the chicken Ig promoter functions similarly to mammalian Ig promoters in that it plays a role in tissue specificity and requires both an enhancer and an intact octamer motif for activity.

Animals↗

Isolation and mapping of two chicken POU family genes and the identification of a syntenic group with human and mouse.

Two partial chicken POU domain genes were isolated by genomic library screening and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A cDNA clone encoding the POU domain of Brn-3a, which showed near identity to the human Brn-3a sequence (100% amino acid identity), was isolated and mapped to chicken linkage group E48. A Skn-1/Epoc-1/Oct-11 genomic clone was identified and mapped to chicken linkage group E49. This mapping identified a syntenic group in chicken linkage group E49 that was conserved with human chromosome 11q23 and mouse chromosome 9.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mapping of growth hormone releasing hormone receptor to swine chromosome 18.

The growth hormone releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR) was mapped in the pig for study as a potential candidate gene in controlling pig quantitative growth and carcass characteristics. Primers were designed from the pig GHRHR sequence to amplify a 1.65-kb intronic fragment between exons 6 and 7. By using a pig-rodent somatic cell hybrid panel, GHRHR was mapped to pig chromosome 18 (SSC18) with 100% concordance, and the regional assignment was SSC18q24 with 89% concordance. The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphisms (PCR-RFLPs) with MseI and TaqI were developed to confirm this assignment with linkage analysis by using the European Pig Gene Mapping Project (PiGMaP) reference families. Pig GHRHR was mapped with strong linkage to SSC18 markers S0062 and S0120 (lod > 8). The GHRHR and IGFBP3 were found to map near to each other on human chromosome 7 (HSA7), and the pig IGFBP3 gene has been mapped to SSC18 by others. Our mapping of pig GHRHR increases the comparative information available on the SSC18 maps and further confirms the synteny conservation between HSA7 and SSC18.

Animals↗

Effect of the estrogen receptor locus on reproduction and production traits in four commercial pig lines.

We investigated the effect of the estrogen receptor (ESR) gene on growth and reproductive traits in four Large White-based commercial pig lines. A total of 9,015 litter records from 4,262 sows genotyped at the ESR locus were analyzed to determine whether ESR influenced total number born (TNB) or number born alive (NBA). Teat number (TN), test ADG, ADFI, feed:gain ratio (F/G), and ultrasonic backfat (BF) were also analyzed to determine effects of ESR. The TNB and NBA were increased per favorable allele of ESR (P < .01) with additive effects of .42 (.31) and .39 (.31) pigs/litter in the first parity (later parities), respectively. Dominance effects were near zero in parity one, but they were .16 and .14 pigs for TNB and NBA, respectively, in later parities (P < .05). A favorable additive pleiotropic effect was detected for BF (P < .001; -.11 mm per copy of the favorable litter size allele). There were no detectable effects on ADG or F/G (P > .10), although ADF was reduced 18 g/d per copy of the favorable litter size allele (P < .05). Average TN was 13.1 for pigs carrying the favorable litter size allele vs 13.2 for noncarriers (P < .05). Marker-assisted selection using ESR is warranted to increase litter size in the Large White-based lines considered here and will be of considerable economic value to pork producers.

Alleles↗

Control of growth hormone synthesis.

A large body of research, primarily in the rodent and human species, has elucidated many of the details regarding the control of GH synthesis and release. Cell type-specific transcriptional control has been identified as the main mechanism of the somatotroph-specific expression of GH. The recent detailed analysis in rodents and humans of a highly specific transcriptional activator protein, PIT-1, has opened several new areas of study. This is especially true for research in the farm animal species, where PIT-1 has been cloned and its binding elements on the GH gene are being investigated in a number of economically important species. Genetic and biochemical analyses of PIT-1 and other GH regulators have shown the central role of PIT-1 not only in the cell-autonomous stimulation of GH gene transcription, but also in the participation of PIT-1 in the response at the GH gene to exogenous hormones such as RA and TH. PIT-1 has been implicated in the proliferative development of the pituitary itself, in the maintenance of anterior pituitary cell types once cell types are defined, and in the mechanism by which the hypothalamic signal for GH release is transduced. However, PIT-1 by itself does not activate the GH gene, so that additional unknown factors exist that need to be identified to fully understand the cell type-specific activation of the GH gene. In addition, GH gene regulatory elements acting through well-characterized systems such as TH have seemingly different effects; the specific context of the regulatory elements relative to the promoter elements appear to be crucial. These contextual details of GH gene regulation are not well understood for any species and need to be further studied to be able to make predictions for particular elements and regulatory mechanisms across species. The regulation of the pulsatile secretion of GH by GHRH and SRIH is reasonably well understood after the cloning and analysis of the two releasing factors and their receptors. Modification or manipulation of the pathways involved in the regulation of GH secretion is a potential means of enhancing the lean tissue growth of meat animals. However, further understanding of the systems controlling the in vivo release of GH is needed before such manipulations are likely to be productive. Several other research questions regarding the control of GH expression and release remain to be answered. What is the biochemical connection between exogenous signal transduction (i.e., GRH/GHRH-R, TR, ER, RAR) and PIT-1 at the GH gene? Are there additional coactivators or repressors of GH that respond to cAMP levels? Do ubiquitous regulatory factors such as GHF-3 and Zn-15, identified thus far only in the rat, exist in humans or livestock? Zn-15 is expected to be found in many mammalian species, because its recognition sequence between the PIT-1 binding sites is highly conserved across mammals (Figure 2). What is the mechanism causing GH levels to drop during aging? Does PIT-1 expression decrease during the lifespan of animals? Is it possible to increase GH gene expression within target tissues by directing the expression of PIT-1 to these tissues via transgenesis, or are other factors limiting in peripheral tissues so that the lack of PIT-1 expression is not the deciding factor? Finally, is there genetic variation in the expression of GHRH and/or SRIH or in their respective receptors? These questions are relevant to and could be investigated in several of the livestock species.

Animals↗

Association of PIT1 polymorphisms with growth and carcass traits in pigs.

PIT1, a member of the POU-domain family of genes, is a positive regulatory factor of growth hormone, prolactin, and thyrotroph-stimulating hormone beta in several mammals. Therefore, PIT1 was chosen as a candidate gene to investigate its association with growth and carcass traits in pigs. The five Iowa State University reference/resource three-generation families consisting of crosses of Meishan x Duroc, Meishan x Hampshire, Meishan x Landrace, Minzhu x Hampshire, and Minzhu x Landrace were used. The three PIT1 polymorphisms were based on two RFLP using a PIT1 POU-domain cDNA probe and the restriction enzymes BamHI and MspI and a PCR/RFLP using RsaI. Birth, 21-d, and 42-d weights, average daily gain, several backfat measurements, longissimus muscle area, muscle color, marbling, and firmness scores were evaluated for their association with the three PIT1 polymorphisms. Mixed-animal-model analyses were used with the informative family data in which the PIT1 polymorphisms were segregating. Results from mixed-model analyses revealed that pigs with the MspI CC genotype (P < .01) were associated with heavier birth weight (.12 kg) than DD genotype pigs. The MspI CC genotype pigs were also significantly associated with greater average backfat (.41 cm, P < .01), greater first-rib backfat (.45 cm, P < .01), greater last-rib backfat (.32 cm, P < .07), and greater last lumbar backfat (.46 cm, P < .10) than the DD genotype pigs. The CC genotype represents primarily Chinese alleles and may be useful for future genetic improvement in synthetic lines involving Chinese and American pigs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Alleles↗

Cloning, sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of a porcine cDNA for OCT2.

A full-length pig cDNA for the POU-domain protein OCT2 has been isolated and sequenced. The 478 amino acid-long reading frame in pig OCT2 is 97% identical to human OCT2A, indicating strong conservation of function for this immunoglobulin regulatory protein. To investigate the potential use of this cDNA for mapping and identifying linkage of OCT2 to economic traits, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was used to identify a TaqI polymorphism. A population of 60 unrelated animals, as well as multigenerational families, were typed for this RFLP and showed variability in several American and Chinese breeds. The TaqI polymorphism was also detected by a non-POU-domain OCT2 probe, demonstrating that this RFLP is located in the OCT2 gene. This result suggests that OCT2 is likely to be a single-copy gene in swine as seen in other mammals.

Animals↗

Expression pattern, genomic cloning and RFLP analyses of the swine PIT-1 gene.

The swine PIT-1 POU domain cDNA was used to study PIT-1 expression and to clone the PIT-1 genomic region to identify additional PIT-1 polymorphisms. PIT-1 was expressed only in the pituitary, confirming the swine cDNA identity. To study the PIT-1 genomic region, a clone containing 13.7 kb DNA was isolated. EcoRI fragments hybridizing to PIT-1 were sequenced, and the 3' portion of PIT-1 gene identified. Primers for polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis were then designed. Restriction analysis of PCR products identified a RsaI RFLP. In contrast to other PIT-1 RFLPs, the RsaI PCR-RFLP was widely distributed in American breeds. Thus, the RsaI RFLP and the previously reported PIT-1 RFLPs allow detection of PIT-1 alleles in most, if not all, breeds currently used in the US and European reference/resource pig mapping families.

Animals↗