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. 2024 Aug 29;15(9):1142.
doi: 10.3390/genes15091142.

Genomic Regions Associated with Growth and Reproduction Traits in Pink-Eyed White Mink

Hongyu Shi  1   2 , Linling Liu  1 , Peter Foged Larsen  1 , Yu Ding  3 , Tietao Zhang  1 , Haihua Zhang  2 , Zongyue Liu  1
Affiliations

Genomic Regions Associated with Growth and Reproduction Traits in Pink-Eyed White Mink

Hongyu Shi et al. Genes (Basel). .

Abstract

In mink breeding, balanced selection for growth and reproductive features is essential because these traits are contradictory. The variables of total number born (TNB), number born alive (NBA), and body weight (BW) are highly valuable in terms of their importance in mink production. A comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms that drive these features could offer vital insights into their genetic compositions. In the present study, the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes of 219 minks were obtained via double digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-seq). Following several rounds of screening, about 2,415,121 high-quality SNPs were selected for a genome-wide association study (GWAS). The GWAS was used to determine BW and reproductive traits in pink-eyed white mink. It was suggested that SLC26A36, STXBP5L, and RPS 29 serve as potential genes for the total number of kits born (TNB), while FSCB, PDPN, NKX 2-1, NFKB 1, NFKBIA, and GABBR1 are key genes for the number born alive (NBA). Moreover, RTTN, PRPF31, MACROD1, and KYAT1 are possible BW genes based on association results and available functional data from gene and mammalian phenotype databases. These results offer essential information about the variety of mink and theoretical principles for applying mink breeds.

Keywords: body weight; genome-wide association study; mink; number born alive; single-nucleotide polymorphism; total number born.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of variants within the autosomal and sex chromosomes of the mink genome.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The principal component analysis of white mink populations by sex and generation. (a) PC1 = first principal component analyzed by sex; (b) PC2 = second principal component analyzed by generation. G1 was the parent generation, G2 was the offspring of G1, and G3 was the offspring of G2.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Population structure analysis of white mink. (a) Population structure of white mink with optimal K = 2; (b) kinship heat map; (c) population structure with K from 1 to 10. Each vertical line indicates one individual. Three generations are numbered at the bottom.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Manhattan and quantile–quantile (Q–Q) plots for GWAS analysis of the TNB, NBA, and BW. (a) Manhattan plot of GWAS results for TNB; (b) Q–Q plot of GWAS results for TNB; (c) Manhattan plot of GWAS results for NBA; (d) Q–Q plot of GWAS results for NBA; (e) Manhattan plot of GWAS results for BW; and (f) Q–Q plot of GWAS results for BW.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Manhattan and quantile–quantile (Q–Q) plots for GWAS analysis of the TNB, NBA, and BW. (a) Manhattan plot of GWAS results for TNB; (b) Q–Q plot of GWAS results for TNB; (c) Manhattan plot of GWAS results for NBA; (d) Q–Q plot of GWAS results for NBA; (e) Manhattan plot of GWAS results for BW; and (f) Q–Q plot of GWAS results for BW.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Haplotype plots: linkage disequilibrium blocks are determined in the regions, with markers in blocks shown in bold. (a): Haplotype plot of GWAS results for TNB; (b): haplotype plot of GWAS results for NBA; (c) haplotype plot of GWAS results for BW; and (d): LD in white mink population, with r2 values averaged throughout 0.5 Mb between physical distances of paired SNPs.
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