Relationship of Methylation of Rabbit Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 Gene(BMP4) Promoter Region with Heterosis | 家兔骨形态发生蛋白4基因(BMP4)启动子甲基化与杂种优势的关系

Chinese. 骨形态发生蛋白4(BMP4)对动物骨组织的生长及动物机体生长发育起着重要的影响。本研究通过甲基化特异性PCR(methylation-specific PCR，MSP)方法检测4个家兔群体共80只家兔(新西兰兔(New Zealand Oryctolagus cuniculus)、福建黄兔(Fujian Yellow O. cuniculus)以及这两个品种正反交2个群体各20只)BMP4基因启动子CpG岛甲基化的状态，并结合屠体性状进行比对分析，为探索能否将BMP4基因启动子甲基化作为分子标记用于辅助育种，并阐明启动子甲基化与杂种优势的关系。结果显示， 2个杂交群体的屠宰性能均高于福建黄兔与新西兰白兔的均值，虽低于新西兰兔但差异不显著(P0.05)，与福建黄兔之间差异极显著(P0.01)；群体内不同性别间甲基化水平与屠体性状均无明显差异(P0.05)，新西兰兔甲基化水平与福建黄兔、福建黄兔×新西兰兔群体间差异显著(P0.05)，其他各群体之间差异不显著(P0.05)；各群体不同甲基化水平下屠宰性状存在差异，但屠宰性状的测定结果不能与甲基化水平完全匹配，推测可能与特异位点的甲基化状态有关。本研究为能否将BMP4基因启动子甲基化作为分子标记以及阐明启动子甲基化与杂种优势的关系提供了一定参考。

English. Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4) plays an important role in animal bone growth and organism development. In this study, the methylation pattern of CpG island of bone morphogenetic protein 4(BMP4) gene promoter was detected using methylation-specific PCR(MSP), and compared and analyzed with carcass traits in four rabbit population of 80, New Zealand(NZ) rabbit(New Zealand Oryctolagus cuniculus), Fujian Yellow(FY) rabbit(Fujian Yellow O. cuniculus) and reciprocal cross between NZ and FY, 20 of each population. The results showed that cross populations on slaughter traits were higher than that of the average of FY rabbit and NZ rabbit, and they were lower than that of NZ rabbit but no significant(P0.05) . It was very significant(P0.01) between cross populations and FY rabbit on slaughter traits. Carcass traits were different in different methylation level in each group, but it showed no significant(P0.05). Methylation level of NZ rabbit was significant compared with FY Rabbit and FY rabbit×NZ rabbit (P0.05) and it showed no significant from one to each other rabbit populations(P0.05) . Slaughter traits were different under different methylation level, but they did not match very well with methylation level and this might be cross by the methylation state of specific site. This study suggest a theoretical reference for explaining the relationship between methylation of BMP4 promoter region and heterosis and whether methylation of BMP4 promoter region can be a molecular marker or not.