SLA Homozygous Korean Native Pigs and Their Inbreeding Status Deduced from the Microsatellite Marker Analysis

The porcine MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex), encoding the SLA (Swine Leukocyte Antigen) genes, is one of the most significant regions associated with immune rejection in relation to transplantation. In this study, three SLA class I (SLA-1, SLA-3, SLA-2) loci and three SLA class II (DRB1, DQB1, DQA) loci were investigated in the previously unidentified Korean native pig (KNP) population that was closely inbred in the Livestock Technology Research Station in Cheongyang, Korea. Total thirteen KNPs from four generations were genotyped for the SLA alleles and haplotypes were investigated using PCR-SSP (Sequence-Specific Primer) method. The results showed that all of these KNPs had Lr-56.30/56.30 homozygous haplotype, indicating high level of inbreeding in the SLA genes. The inbreeding status of these animals was also investigated using microsatellite (MS) markers. From the 50 MS markers investigated, 17 MS markers were fixed in all generations and the fixed alleles are increased as 26 loci for the fourth generation. Two MS markers, S0069 and SW173, were heterozygous for all the animals tested. Observed and expected heterozygosities were calculated and the average inbreeding coefficients for each generation were also calculated. In the fourth generation, the average inbreeding coefficients was 0.732 and this may increase with further inbreeding process. Analysis of the SLA haplotypes and MS alleles can give important information for breeding the pigs for xenotransplantation studies.