Genetic analysis of philippine native pigs (Sus scrofa L.) using microsatellite loci

The Philippine native pigs possess a unique phenotype. However, studies on their genetic structure and diversity have not been performed yet. We performed genetic studies using Philippine native pigs (PHs) and three commercial pig breeds with 10 porcine microsatellite markers. Results showed that the mean expected heterozygosity (HE _xp ) was 0.5115 (±0.0648) while the observed heterozygosity (H _Obs ) was 0.5505 (±0.027). In PHs, HE _xp and HO _bs were 0.290 (±0.0667) and 0.403 (±0.0331),respectively with the lowest mean number of alleles per locus among the breeds (3.30 ±1.34). Mean Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) of each marker ranged from 0.26 (S0225) to 0.61 (S0005) and the mean number of alleles was 4.2. In PHs, mean PIC was 0.247 (0 – 0.502), and it was the lowest compared to other breeds suggesting the limited genetic diversity of PHs. Microsatellite (MS) marker analysis showed that most of these markers except SW24 might be useful for genetic diversity study and conservation of PHs. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that PHs were clustered with Berkshire in the same clade, suggesting that these breeds might share evolutionary path.