Insertional Variations of Two Porcine Endogenous Retroviruses (PERVs) in Korean Native Pigs and Asian Wild Boars

Jung, K. C.; Yu, S. L.; Kim, T. H.; Jeon, J. T.; Rogel-Gaillard, C.; Park, C. S.; Jin, D. I.; Moran, C.; Lee, J. H.

doi:2007.20.4.461

Article

Animal Breeding and Genetics

Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 2007;20(4): 461-465.
https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.2007.461 Published online January 24, 2007.

Insertional Variations of Two Porcine Endogenous Retroviruses (PERVs) in Korean Native Pigs and Asian Wild Boars

K. C. Jung, S. L. Yu, T. H. Kim, J. T. Jeon, C. Rogel-Gaillard, C. S. Park, D. I. Jin, C. Moran, J. H. Lee^*

Correspondence: J. H. Lee,

Abstract

Porcine Endogenous Retroviruses (PERVs) are a major concern in relation to xenotransplantation. Previous research indicated that PERVs are present at about 50 copies in the pig genome and their chromosomal insertion sites are different among pig breeds. We examined nine Korean native pigs and seven Asian Wild Boars for the presence of a PERV-A at SSC 1q2.4 and a PERV-B at SSC 7p1.1-2 previously reported in a Large White pig. The PERV-B at locus 7p1.1-2 displayed insertional variability in Korean native pigs and Asian Wild Boars. Using the primers for the PERV-A at 1q2.4 from Large White pig, we only can amplify an unclassified 798 bp sequence, which showed insertional variability only in Korean native pigs. This study indicates that there are differences within and between Asian and European pigs in PERV insertions and suggests that selection could generate PERV-free lines of pigs more suitable for xenotransplantation.

Keywords: Pigs; Insertional Variations; Porcine Endogenous Retroviruses (PERVs); Xenotransplantation