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Genetic Analysis of Local Pig Populations in Ghana

ABSTRACT: The Ashanti Dwarf Pig (ADP) of Ghana is an endangered pig breed with hardy and disease resistant traits. Characterisation of animal genetic resources provides relevant data for their conservation and sustainable use for food security and economic development. We investigated the origin and phylogenetic status of the local ADP of Ghana and their crosses with modern commercial breeds based on mtDNA, MC1R and Y-chromosome sequence polymorphisms, and genome-wide SNP genotyping. The study involved 164 local pigs sampled from the three agro-ecological zones of Ghana. Analyses of the mitochondrial D-loop region and Y-chromosome sequences revealed that the ADP of Ghana has both European and Asian genetic signatures. The ADP also displays considerable variation in the MC1R gene. Black coat colour is the most predominant within the breed, with the dominant black alleles of both Asian and European origin contributing to the majority of alleles in the pool. European alleles for spotting are present at a low frequency in the sample set, and may account for the occurrence of spotted piglets in some APD litters. Other colour variants may be due to epistatic interactions with additional coat colour loci, or mutations. The wide variations in coat colour patterns suggest that morphology alone cannot be used to adequately characterise Ghanaian local pigs. PCA analysis of SNP genotyping data revealed a strong location effect on clustering of local Ghanaian pigs. Based on this work, we recommend that further studies be carried out on more local pigs to find out the effect of admixture on important adaptive and economic traits of the ADP and other local Sus breeds in Africa to help develop a sustainable conservation programmes to prevent the decline of this genetic resource.

ORGANISM(S): Sus scrofa

PROVIDER: GSE84604 | GEO | 2017/03/08

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA330619

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Background: Mortality from preeclampsia (PE) and PE-associated morbidities are 3-to 5-fold higher in persons of African ancestry than in those of Asian and European ancestries. The placenta is central to the etiology of PE. However, how and to what extent the placenta contributes to worse PE outcomes in persons of African ancestry is yet to be fully elucidated. Objective: We aimed to identify molecular pathways that are unique or enriched in placentas of parturient persons of African ancestry with PE with severe features (sPE) compared to those of Asian and European ancestry with sPE. Study design: Bulk RNA sequencing was performed on 50 placentas from parturient persons with sPE of African (n=9), Asian (n=18) and European (n=23) ancestries and 73 normotensive controls of African (n=9), Asian (n=15) and European (n=49) ancestries. Results: Metabolism, hormone regulation and hypoxia/angiogenesis genes, previously described to be upregulated in PE, including: LEP, PAPPA2, INHA, FSTL3, FLT1, PHYHIP and ENG, were upregulated in sPE across ancestries, with high expression of FSTL3 being additionally associated with intrauterine growth restriction (p<.0001). Notably, LEP, FLT1 and PHYHIP were more highly upregulated in sPE placentas from parturient persons of African versus Asian ancestry. Genes associated with allograft rejection and adaptive immune response were selectively upregulated in placentas from African ancestry parturitions and not in those of Asian and European ancestries. Among the allograft rejection/adaptive immune response genes, IL3RA was of particular interest because the patient with the highest placental IL3RA level, a woman of African ancestry with IL3RA levels 4.5-fold above the average for African ancestry parturitions with sPE, developed postpartum cardiomyopathy, and was the only patient out of 123, that developed this condition. Interestingly, the sPE patients of Asian and European ancestries with the highest IL3RA levels for their ancestries developed unexplained tachycardia peripartum, necessitating echocardiography in the European ancestry patient. The association between elevated placental IL3RA levels and unexplained tachycardia or peripartum cardiomyopathy was found to be significant in the 50 sPE patients (p=.0005). Conclusions: African ancestry parturitions are associated with higher placental upregulation of metabolism (LEP) and hypoxia/angiogenesis (FLT1) genes, and selective upregulation of allograft rejection/adaptive immune response genes, including IL3RA. High placental expression of IL3RA may predict worse maternal cardiovascular outcomes, including peripartum cardiomyopathy. Studies evaluating placental IL3RA levels in peripartum cardiomyopathy cohorts are therefore warranted, as are broader studies evaluating placental factors in maternal cardiovascular outcomes postpartum.

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Genetic Analysis of Local Pig Populations in Ghana

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