Identification of Korean Native Pork Using Breed-Specific DNA Marker of KIT Gene

Accurate methods for the identification of closely related species or breeds in raw and processed meats must be developed in order to protect both consumers and producers from mislabeling and fraud. This paper describes the development of DNA markers for the discrimination and improvement of Korean native pig (KNP) meat. The KIT gene is related to pig coat color and is often used as a candidate marker. A 538 bp fragment comprising intron 19 of the pig KIT gene was amplified by PCR using specific primers, after which the PCR amplicons of a number of meat samples from KNP and three major improved breeds (Landrace, Duroc and Yorkshire) were sequenced in order to find a nucleotide region suitable for PCR-RFLP analysis. Sequence data showed the presence of two nucleotide substitutions, g.276G>A and g.295A>C, between KNP and the improved pig breeds. Digestion of KIT amplicons with AccII enzyme generated characteristic PCR-RFLP profiles that allowed discrimination between meats from KNP and improved pig. KNP showed three visible DNA bands of 264/249, 199, and 75 bp, whereas DNA bands of 249, 199, and 90 bp were detected in the three improved pig breeds. Therefore, the 75 bp DNA fragment was specific only to KNP, whereas the 90 bp DNA fragment was specific to the improved breeds. The breed-specific DNA markers reported here that target the KIT gene could be useful for the identification of KNP meat from improved pig meats, thus contributing to the prevention of falsified breed labeling.