Genetic characterization of Uruguayan Pampa Rocha pigs with microsatellite markers

In this study, we genetically characterized the Uruguayan pig breed Pampa Rocha.Genetic variability was assessed by analyzing a panel of 25 microsatellite markersfrom a sample of 39 individuals. Pampa Rocha pigs showed high genetic variabilitywith observed and expected heterozygosities of 0.583 and 0.603, respectively. Themean number of alleles was 5.72. Twenty-four markers were polymorphic, with 95.8% ofthem in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium. The level of endogamy was low (F_IS =0.0475). A factorial analysis of correspondence was used to assess the geneticdifferences between Pampa Rocha and other pig breeds; genetic distances werecalculated, and a tree was designed to reflect the distance matrix. Individuals werealso allocated into clusters. This analysis showed that the Pampa Rocha breed wasseparated from the other breeds along the first and second axes. Theneighbour-joining tree generated by the genetic distances D_A showedclustering of Pampa Rocha with the Meishan breed. The allocation of individuals toclusters showed a clear separation of Pampa Rocha pigs. These results provideinsights into the genetic variability of Pampa Rocha pigs and indicate that thisbreed is a well-defined genetic entity.