Swine leukocyte antigen class II genes (SLA-DRA, SLA-DRB1, SLA-DQA, SLA-DQB1) polymorphism and genotyping in Guizhou minipigs

The swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) complex harbors highly polymorphic gene clusters encoding glycoproteins that are involved in responses to vaccines, infectious disease, and production performance. Pigs with well-defined SLA class II genes are useful for the study of disease, immunology, and vaccines. In this study, we analyzed four SLA class II genes (SLA-DRA, SLA-DRB1, SLA-DQA, SLA-DQB1) in 22 founder Guizhou minipigs using a sequence-based typing method. Twelve alleles were detected, compared with the SLA class II allele sequences in the GenBank, and one of twelve alleles was found to be novel in Guizhou minipigs. There are four SLA II haplotypes, and one of them has been previously reported in Meishan pigs. Furthermore, based on sequence information of these alleles, we developed a simple SLA typing method implemented to SLA-typing for unknown offspring of Guizhou minipigs, relying on designed twelve sequence specific primers that could discriminate between each other. According to the combination of sequence-based typing and PCR-SSP, we were able to rapidly check SLA typing of Guizhou breeding stock and identified four SLA haplotypes in the herd. Therefore, SLA-defined Guizhou minipigs will be useful as animal models for xenotransplantation and immunological research.