Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2021, 66(3):73-77 | DOI: 10.17221/61/2020-CJAS

Detection of copy number variation of alpha amylase genes in domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) and wild boars (Sus scrofa)Original Paper

Tsukasa Yoshidomi1, Kensuke Hirose2, Takeshi Kuge3, Yukio Okada4, Yaetsu Kurosawa5, Tatsuya Takizawa1, Kazuaki Tanaka*,1
1 School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
2 Central Research Institute for Feed and Livestock, ZEN-NOH, Kato-gun, Hokkaido, Japan
3 ZEN-NOH Livestock Co., Ltd., Iwate-gun, Iwate-ken, Japan
4 Basic Research Department, PRIMA Meat Packers Ltd., Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, Japan
5 Tokyo University of Agriculture, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Copy numbers of alpha amylase genes (AMY), which encode starch-digesting enzymes, are markedly increased in modern humans and domesticated dogs as an adaptive evolutionary mechanism in response to increased consumption of starch-rich foods acquired either by farming or domestication. In this study, we surveyed total AMY gene copy numbers in 150 domestic pigs (50 pigs of Berkshire breed, 50 of Landrace breed, and 50 of Large White breed) and 51 wild boars (30 Sus scrofa leucomystax and 21 S. s. riukiuanus) to identify whether the gene copy number has changed during the domestication of pigs. The relative copy number of AMY genes was measured using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and it varied from 2.7 to 10.8 per haploid genome among individuals. However, in the four remaining populations, excluding S. s. riukiuanus, the average copy number was approximately six, and no significant differences were observed between the three selected pig breeds and S. s. leucomystax wild boar. Conversely, S. s. riukiuanus had an average of 7.2 copies. The results indicating six AMY copies per haploid genome were consistent with the porcine genome reference sequence (Sscrofa11.1). These results suggest that there has been no significant increase in the AMY gene copy number during the domestication process of pigs.

Keywords: AMY locus; domestication; porcine CNV; qPCR

Published: March 2, 2021  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Yoshidomi T, Hirose K, Kuge T, Okada Y, Kurosawa Y, Takizawa T, Tanaka K. Detection of copy number variation of alpha amylase genes in domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) and wild boars (Sus scrofa). Czech J. Anim. Sci. 2021;66(3):73-77. doi: 10.17221/61/2020-CJAS.
Download citation

References

  1. Abduriyim S, Nishita Y, Abramov AV, Solovyev VA, Saveljev AP, Kosintsev PA, Kryukov AP, Raichev E, Vainola R, Kaneko Y, Masuda R. Variation in pancreatic amylase gene copy number among Eurasian badgers (Carnivora, Mustelidae, Meles) and its relationship to diet. J Zool. 2019 May;308(1):28-36. Go to original source...
  2. Axelsson E, Ratnakumar A, Arendt ML, Maqbool K, Webster MT, Perloski M, Liberg O, Arnemo JM, Hedhammar A, Lindblad-Toh K. The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet. Nature. 2013 Jan 23;495:360-4. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  3. Bach-Knudsen KE, Laerke HN, Jorgensen H. Carbohydrates and carbohydrate utilization in swine. In: Chiba LI, editor. Sustainable swine nutrition. Hoboken (NJ): WileyBlackwell; 2013. p. 109-37. Go to original source...
  4. Boehlke C, Zierau O, Hannig C. Salivary amylase - The enzyme of unspecialized euryphagous animals. Arch Oral Biol. 2015 Aug;60(8):1162-76. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  5. Contreras-Aguilar MD, Tecles F, Martinez-Subiela S, Escribano D, Bernal LJ, Ceron JJ. Detection and measurement of alpha amylase in canine saliva and changes after an experimentally induced sympathetic activation. BMC Vet Res. 2017 Aug 22;13(1): [6 p.]. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  6. Giuffra E, Kijas JMH, Amarger V, Carlborg O, Jeon J-T, Andersson L. The origin of the domestic pig: Independent domestication and subsequent introgression. Genetics. 2000 Apr 1;154(4):1785-91. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  7. Janiak MC. Digestive enzymes of human and nonhuman primates. Evol Anthropol. 2016 Sep-Oct;25(5):253-66. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  8. Larson G, Dobney K, Albarella U, Fang M, Matisoo-Smith E, Robins J, Lowden S, Finlayson H, Brand T, Willerslev E, Rowley-Conwy P, Andersson L, Cooper A. Worldwide phylogeography of wild boar reveals multiple centers of pig domestication. Science. 2005 Mar 11;307(5715):1618-21. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  9. Meisler MH, Ting CN. The remarkable evolutionary history of the human amylase genes. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med. 1993 Apr;4(3-4):503-9. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  10. Pajic P, Pavlidis P, Dean K, Neznanova L, Romano RA, Garneau D, Daugherity E, Globig A, Ruhl S, Gokcumen O. Independent amylase gene copy number bursts correlate with dietary preferences in mammals. eLife. 2019 May 14;8: [22 p.]. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  11. Paudel Y, Madsen O, Megens HJ, Frantz LA, Bosse M, Bastiaansen JW, Crooijmans RP, Groenen MA. Evolutionary dynamics of copy number variation in pig genomes in the context of adaptation and domestication. BMC Genom. 2013 Jul 5;14: [13 p.]. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  12. Perry GH, Dominy NJ, Claw KG, Lee AS, Fiegler H, Redon R, Werner J, Villanea FA, Mountain JL, Misra R, Carter NP, Lee C, Stone AC. Diet and the evolution of human amylase gene copy number variation. Nat Genet. 2007 Sep 9;39(10):1256-60. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
  13. Ruvinsky A, Rothschild MF. The genetics of pig. In: Rothschild MF, Ruvinsky A, editors. Systematics and evolution of the pig. Wallingford (UK): CAB International; 1998. p. 1-16. Go to original source...
  14. Watanobe T, Okumura N, Ishiguro N, Nakano M, Matsui A, Sahara M, Komatsu M. Genetic relationship and distribution of the Japanese wild boar (Sus scrofa leucomystax) and Ryukyu wild boar (Sus scrofa riukiuanus) analysed by mitochondrial DNA. Mol Ecol. 1999 Sep;8(9):1509-12. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY NC 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.