Identification of candidate genes affecting meat quality in swine.

In a previous study, the Suppressive Subtractive Hybridisation (SSH) technique was used to identify differentially expressed candidate genes for meat quality in Large White and Landrace pigs. Thirteen of these sequences, for which human mapping information are already available, were further analysed to validate their differential expression by RT-PCR and to assess their map position through in-silico comparative mapping and physical mapping by Somatic Cell Hybrid Panel. Eleven sequences map to nuclear DNA, two ESTs map to mitochondria whereas for one sequence no map data were obtained. The chromosomal mapping results obtained in the present study confirm QTLs linked to meat quality traits previously identified by other Authors. Furthermore, three of these QTLs had been identified in breeds other than Large White and Landrace.