Study of the genetic diversity of the Canary Black Pig using DNA microsatellites

摘要

The Canary Black Pig is an ancestral pig population with behaviour and production system very different from the other pig populations in Spain. In order to clarify if these differences are genetic too, this study has been carried out. 25 markers recommended by FAO (1998) have been amplified in a PTC-100 instrument (MJ Research). The fragment amplified have been analysed using an automatic sequencer AB 1377XL (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA) and the allelic typing has been done with the Genotyper 2.5 software. Allele number, heterozygosities and Fis (Weir and Cockerham, 1984) have been calculated with the Genetix 4.01 program (Belkhir, 1999). The results founded have showed that this population has lower heterozygosity and allele number than other pig populations in the Iberian Peninsula. This low genetic variability could be dangerous for this precious genetic resource if appropriate conservation measures are not taken.