Molecular characterization and chromosomal mapping of porcine adipose differentiation‐related protein (ADRP)

Summary ADRP plays an important role in regulating lipid storage in various cells. We investigated the ADRP gene as a candidate gene for intramuscular fat deposition and marbling traits in pigs. A full‐length transcript of porcine ADRP was cloned by RT‐PCR and RACE. The porcine ADRP cDNA (1848 bp) contains a 1377‐bp open reading frame, encoding a deduced protein of 459 amino acids, which has amino acid sequence identities of 89, 89, 82 and 81% with cattle, human, mouse and rat ADRP genes respectively. The genomic structure and sequence of the porcine ADRP were also analysed using a BAC clone of a Korean native pig. Pig ADRP comprises eight exons spanning approximately 13 kb and is located on chromosome 1 q2.3‐q2.7 between microsatellite markers SW2185 and SW974 . Several sequence variations were detected from nine different pig breeds. The biological role of this gene and the mapping localization indicated that the porcine ADRP is a possible candidate gene for fat deposition and marbling traits.