Preliminary results on associations between leptin gene (LEP) and some reproduction performance traits of boars
Abstract. Studies on porcine genome contributed to identification of polymorphic loci of the genes that may influence the level of reproduction-related traits. The LEP gene codes for leptin – a protein secreted to blood from adipocytes, important for food intake, energy expenditure, and immune response; the protein also influences some functions of mammalian reproductive system. The aim of this study was to determine the polymorphism of HinfI in the leptin gene and its effect on selected qualitative and quantitative traits of the semen. The analyses included 54 AI boars, which had been derived from crossing Duroc with Pietrain breeds. The genotypes were established with PCR-RFLP. Two alleles LEP/HinfI were identified: LEP (152 bp) and LEPC (68 and 84 bp) with the frequencies 0.713 and 0.287 respectively. The genotype frequencies were as follows: LEPTLEPT — 0.5185, LEPTLEPC — 0.3889, LEPCLEPC — 0.0926. The results obtained here demonstrated significant (P ≤ 0.05 and P ≤ 0.01) predominance of LEPCLEPT and LEPTLEPT boars in respect to ejaculate volume, percentage and number of live sperms and concentration of sperms.
