Evaluating the genetic and epigenetic contributions to porcine maternal infanticide and their potential use to identify at risk animals

评估遗传和表观遗传对猪母杀婴的贡献及其识别高危动物的潜在用途

• 批准号: BB/K000136/1
• 负责人: Nabeel Affara
• 金额: $ 61.51万
• 依托单位: University of Cambridge
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2012 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FK000136%2F1
• 关键词: Evaluating; genetic; epigenetic; contributions; porcine

Maternal infanticide behaviour towards the newborn has been observed in several mammalian species including mouse, rat, pig and human. There is considerable evidence that this complex abnormal maternal behaviour has an important inherited component but is also influenced by interacting environmental factors.In the pig breeding industry, piglet loss as a result of maternal infanticide has both an economic and welfare impact. From the size of the breeding herds in the UK and Europe (400,000 and 15,000,000 sows respectively - DEFRA estimates in 2007) it is conservatively estimated that 20,000-30,000 piglets are at risk in the UK and 750,000-1,125,000 in Europe at each parity. It would, therefore, be important to use any understanding of the causes of porcine maternal infanticide to reduce the welfare and economic impact in the pig breeding industry.We have been studying porcine maternal infanticide in order to identify regions of the pig genetic material that influence maternal behaviour. These genetic studies have uncovered a number of chromosome segments that carry genes and DNA sequences that may be important in determining this infanticide behaviour. The activity of genes or DNA sequences that regulate genes can be altered either by direct changes in the sequence of DNA (mutation) or by a modification of the DNA that does not alter the sequence but does change its activity; this is known as an epigenetic modification and can be both transmissible and established by interacting environmental factors. In this project we aim to investigate the candidate genes and sequences identified by our genetic studies for evidence of DNA sequences change (mutation) and DNA modification (epigenetic change) to provide direct evidence linking these genes and sequences to the maternal infanticide behaviour. This will be done by comparing the DNA in these candidate regions between affected and unaffected sows. The variations in DNA sequence or DNA modification observed between the two groups of animals may provide the basis for developing predictive tests that could be useful in identifying sows predisposed to maternal infanticide behaviour. We will evaluate this possibility by testing significant differences between affected and unaffected animals on a large collection of animals where we have a well documented record of their maternal behaviour at birth and in the immediate postnatal period. In addition to potentially allowing the design of predictive tests, an improved understanding of the genes, pathways and underlying biology of maternal infanticide in pigs offers routes to the development of possible treatment strategies.

在包括小鼠、大鼠、猪和人类在内的几种哺乳动物中观察到母体杀婴行为。有大量证据表明，这种复杂的异常母性行为具有重要的遗传因素，但也受到相互作用的环境因素的影响。在养猪业中，母猪杀婴造成的仔猪损失会产生经济和福利影响。根据英国和欧洲种猪群的规模（DEFRA 2007 年估计，分别为 400,000 头和 15,000,000 头母猪），保守估计，在每个胎次下，英国有 20,000-30,000 头仔猪面临风险，欧洲有 750,000-1,125,000 头仔猪面临风险。因此，利用对猪母杀婴原因的了解来减少对养猪业的福利和经济影响非常重要。我们一直在研究猪母杀婴，以便确定影响母性行为的猪遗传物质区域。这些遗传学研究发现了许多携带基因和 DNA 序列的染色体片段，这些基因和 DNA 序列可能对确定这种杀婴行为很重要。基因或调节基因的 DNA 序列的活性可以通过直接改变 DNA 序列（突变）或通过不改变序列但改变其活性的 DNA 修饰来改变；这被称为表观遗传修饰，可以通过相互作用的环境因素传播和建立。在这个项目中，我们的目标是调查基因研究中确定的候选基因和序列，以获取 DNA 序列变化（突变）和 DNA 修饰（表观遗传变化）的证据，从而提供将这些基因和序列与母婴杀婴行为联系起来的直接证据。这将通过比较受影响母猪和未受影响母猪之间这些候选区域的 DNA 来完成。两组动物之间观察到的 DNA 序列或 DNA 修饰的差异可能为开发预测性测试提供基础，这些预测性测试可用于识别易于发生母婴杀婴行为的母猪。我们将通过在大量动物身上测试受影响和未受影响动物之间的显着差异来评估这种可能性，我们对这些动物在出生时和产后不久的母性行为有详细记录。除了可能允许设计预测测试之外，更好地了解猪杀母婴的基因、途径和潜在生物学也为开发可能的治疗策略提供了途径。

项目成果

An association and haplotype analysis of porcine maternal infanticide: a model for human puerperal psychosis?

猪母杀婴的关联和单倍型分析：人类产后精神病的模型？

• DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32097
• 发表时间: 2012
• 期刊: the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics
• 作者: Quilter CR