Searching for new signals for susceptibility to umbilical hernia through genome-wide association analysis in three pig breeds

Umbilical hernia (UH) is a prevalent congenital disorder in pigs, resulting in considerable economic losses and severe animal welfare issues. In the present study, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using the GeneSeek 50K Chip in 2777 pigs (Duroc, n = 1267; Landrace, n = 696; and Yorkshire, n = 814) to explore the candidate genes underlying the risk of umbilical hernia in pigs. After quality control analyses, 2748 animals and 48 524 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were retained for subsequent GWAS analysis using the FarmCPU model. The heritability of umbilical hernias was estimated to 0.51 ± 0.04, indicating a reasonable basis for investigating genetic markers associated with this disorder. We identified 54 SNPs and 517 candidate genes that showed significant associations with susceptibility to umbilical hernia across the combined population of the three pig breeds. Gene enrichment analyses highlighted several crucial pathways for platelet degranulation, inflammatory mediator regulation of TRP channels and ion transport. These findings provide further insights into the underlying genetic architecture of umbilical hernias in pigs.