Investigation of TXNIP (thioredoxin-interacting protein) and TRX (thioredoxin) genes for growth-related traits in pigs

It is well known that TRX and its endogenous inhibitor TXNIP help sustain the cellular reduction/oxidation balance in response to various stresses and both play a crucial role in cell proliferation and growth. Five SNPs were found in TXNIP and these allowed us to map it by linkage to SSC4. Three of the SNPs were used for association analyses in three commercial pig populations (Duroc, Hampshire, and synthetic line) with more than 1200 animals. Both the single-marker and haplotype analyses revealed significant effects of TXNIP on hot carcass weight, test daily gain, and lifetime daily gain. TRX was mapped on SSC1 but no significant associations with growth-related traits were found in the synthetic pig line in which the SNP was informative. The expression levels of TXNIP and TRX were then detected in two groups (fast growth and slow growth, respectively) with different genetic backgrounds for growth. Compared with the slow-growth group, TXNIP expression was significantly lower in the fast-growth group, whereas a marked increase in TRX expression was observed in fast-growth group. Our findings suggest that TXNIP has effects on growth-related traits in pigs and further investigations will be necessary to elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved.