Association of variation in the MC4R gene with meat quality traits in a commercial pig population

The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) gene is known to encode a membrane-bound receptor protein and is a member of the melanocortin receptor family of genes. In mammals, these genes are involved in energy homeostasis and in regulating feeding behavior and body weight. The objective of the present study was to examine if there were any associations between variations in the MC4R gene with meat quality traits in a commercial pig population in Korea. Among the total of 593 commercial pigs, sire information was retrieved from 232 pigs. These animals were successfully genotyped for the c.892A>G (p. Asp298Asn) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) by using ThqI PCR-RFLP methods. Association analyses between this SNP and meat quality traits were performed using a general linear model (GLM) including sire effect. This SNP was significantly associated with backfat thickness (P<0.05), marbling (P<0.01). Interestingly, this SNP marker was also associated with volatile basic nitrogen after 14 days of storage (P<0.05). To our knowledge, it is the first results observed for the MC4R genotypes with volatile basic nitrogen after 14 days of storage in the commercial pig population. Therefore, these results suggest that the MC4R gene can be targeted in marker-assisted breeding for selecting pigs with good meat quality.