Abstract
We investigated the exons of partial CoDing Sequence (CDS) regions and 5′-prime untranslated regions (5′UTR) of the agouti signaling protein gene (ASIP) in F2-generation samples of a Large White and Japanese wild boar intercross. We amplified these fragments of DNA by the 5′RACE (Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends) method. Some of the hairs in the F2 samples had an agouti color pattern. The 5′ untranslated termini of the ASIP gene differed between the dorsal and ventral skin, as is the case in animals that have the agouti pattern, such as mice and foxes. Genomic comparison between these regions of the mouse and pig ASIP genes revealed that most of the ventral and hair-cycle-specific 5′ untranslated termini of the mouse Asip isoform corresponded to the pig ASIP isoforms in the dorsal and ventral skin. We therefore considered that they were of orthologous origin. The expression patterns of the ASIP isoforms, as revealed by RT-PCR of pig-breed samples, differed from each other ; that is, there was no amplification of ASIP isoforms in some pig skin samples, and the expression was observed in the same pig breed samples. We were unable to confirm the presence of any particular relationship between ASIP expression and coat color in pig breeds.
