GENETIC-MAPPING OF QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI FOR GROWTH AND FATNESS IN PIGS

The European wild boar was crossed with the domesticated Large White p ig to genetically dissect phenotypic differences between these populat ions for growth and fat deposition. The most important effects were cl ustered on chromosome 4, with a single region accounting for a large p art of the breed difference in growth rate, fatness, and length of the small intestine. The study is an advance in genome analyses and docum ents the usefulness of crosses between divergent outbred populations f or the detection and characterization of quantitative trait loci. The genetic mapping of a major locus for fat deposition in the pig could h ave implications for understanding human obesity.