Genome-wide analysis reveals selection for Chinese Rongchang pigs

Livestock have undergone domestication and consequently strong selective pressure on genes or genomic regions that control desirable traits.To identify selection signatures in the genome of Chinese Rongchang pigs, we generated a total of about 170 Gb of DNA sequence data with about 6.4-fold coverage for each of six female individuals.By combining these data with the publically available genome data of 10 Asian wild boars, we identified 449 protein-coding genes with selection signatures in Rongchang pigs, which are mainly involved in growth and hormone binding, nervous system development, and drug metabolism.The accelerated evolution of these genes may contribute to the dramatic phenotypic differences between Rongchang pigs and Chinese wild boars.This study illustrated how domestication and subsequent artificial selection have shaped patterns of genetic variation in Rongchang pigs and provides valuable genetic resources that can enhance the use of pigs in agricultural production and biomedical studies.