GWAS and candidate gene screening
Genomic DNA samples from 33 Bama pigs of the G1-016105 strain (including
G1-016105, three wild-type sows, and their 29 littermates) were
genotyped using porcine SNP60 BeadChips (Illumina Inc., USA). A
family-based genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) detected the SNP
loci exhibiting a significant correlation with piebaldism using PLINK
software. Parametric linkage analysis was performed using Merlin
software based on an autosomal-dominant model, and the LOD score was
calculated as the evidence for linkage. The whole coding sequence of the
candidate gene c-KIT was amplified and sequenced to identify the
causative mutation. All primers are listed in Table S2.