earticle

영어

For evaluating the boar semen quality, sperm motility (MOT) is an important parameter because the movement of spermatozoa indicates active metabolism, membrane integrity and fertilizing capacity. Zygote arrest 1 (ZAR1) is oocyte-specific protein involved in the initiation of embryo development. but their functions have not been confirmed in pig until now. Therefore, this study was conducted to analyze their association with sperm motility and kinematic characteristics. DNA samples from 105 Duroc pigs with records of semen motility and kinematic characteristics〔Total motile spermatozoa (MOT), Curvilinear velocity(VCL), Straight-line velocity(VSL), the ratio between VSL and VCL(LIN), Amplitude of Lateral Head displacement(ALH)〕 were analyzed. A SNP in coding region of ZAR1 g.4095 C>A in intron 4 was associated with MOT in Duroc population. Therefore, we suggest that the porcine ZAR1 gene may be used as a molecular marker for Duroc boar semen quality, although its functional effects were not defined yet. These results might shed new light on the roles of ZAR1 in spermatogenesis as candidate gene for boar fertility, but still the lack of association across populations should be considered.