Abstract: 【Objective】The purposes of this study were to analyze the variation of teat number, to explore the quantitative trait locus (QTL) and candidate genes related to teat number, and to provide important molecular markers for the breeding of pig teat number.【Method】This study accurately measured left, right, total teat number of 709 Suhuai pigs (335 fattening pigs and 374 breeding pigs). Fattening pigs were selected for 80K chip genotyping and the heritability and genomic estimated breeding value (GEBV) of left, right and total teat number were calculated by chip data. Based on the rank of GEBV and phenotype of teat number, the top 10% individuals and the bottom 10% individuals were selected for Fixation Index (F_ST) analysis to detect highly differentiated loci. Then, the loci associated with teat number were identified by genome wide association analysis (GWAS) and loci which were highly differentiated and significantly associated with teat number were selected as candidate loci. Genes located near candidate loci and related to teat number after functional annotation were selected as candidate genes. Finally, the association analyses between the most significant candidate loci on each chromosome and teat number of 709 Suhuai pigs were performed to verify the significance of the above loci.【Result】The variation coefficients of left, right and total teat number of Suhuai fattening pigs were 10.20%, 9.26% and 8.50%, respectively, and the heritability were 0.212, 0.257 and 0.312, respectively. Based on F_ST and GWAS analyses, a total of 20 candidate loci on Sus scorfa chromosomes (SSC) 7, 13, 16 and 18 for teat number were identified and these candidate loci could explain 5.49%-8.03% of the phenotypic variance. Among them, locus rs80894106 on SSC7 associated with total teat number was consistent with the reported candidate locus of total teat number based on Large white and Duroc pig populations, but candidate loci rs81444134 (26.51 Mb, SSC13) and rs81233299 (8.13 Mb, SSC18) of left teat number were newly discovered loci related to teat number. Interestingly, candidate loci of left, right and total teat number were mainly concentrated in the 6.36-10.66 Mb interval on SSC16; Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis found that candidate loci in 7.47-8.27 Mb interval fit into a 795 Kb haplotype block, and this haplotype block was a newly discovered candidate area that affected teat number; rs337606862 (7.47 Mb) in the haplotype block was the most significantly SNP associated with the left and total teat number, and three loci in the haplotype block were all located on the intron of cadherin 18 (CDH18) gene; CDH18 gene encoded type II cadherin, and cadherin was related to the identification, sorting, proliferation, apoptosis of cells in developing tissue and the occurrence of breast cancer. Thus, CDH18 might be a new candidate gene that affected pig teat number. In addition, the most significant loci rs81444134, rs80894106, rs337606862 and rs81233299 on 4 chromosomes were genotyped in 709 Suhuai pigs in this study. After association analysis, these loci were significantly associated with teat number, and could be used as potential molecular markers for the selection of teat number.【Conclusion】In this study, 20 loci significantly related to teat number were identified in Suhuai pig population by genome analysis. Among them, 26.51 Mb on SSC13 and 8.13 Mb on SSC18 were new candidate QTLs for teat number. The 7.47-8.27 Mb on SSC16 was also a newly discovered candidate QTL for teat number, and CDH18 gene in this interval might be a new candidate gene that affected the formation of pig teat.

Key words: F_ST,  , GWAS,  , QTL,  , Suhuai pig,  , teat number,  , candidate genes