Increased prenatal IGF2 expression due to the porcine IGF2 intron3-G3072A mutation may be responsible for increased muscle mass

A SNP (IGF2 G3072A) within intron 3 of IGF2 disrupts a binding site for the repressor zinc finger BED-type containing 6 (ZBED6), leading to increased carcass lean yields in pigs. However, the relative contributions of prenatal as opposed to postnatal increased IGF2 expression are unclear. As muscle fiber number is set at birth, prenatal and neonate skeletal muscle development is critical in determining mature growth potential. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the contributions of hyperplasia and hypertrophy to increased muscle mass and to delineate the effect of the IGF2 mutation on the expression of myogenic genes during prenatal and postnatal growth. Sows (IGF2 A/A) were bred to a single heterozygous (IGF2 A/G) boar. For fetal samples, sows were euthanized at 60 and 90 d of gestation (d60 and d90) to obtain fetuses. Male and female offspring were also euthanized at birth (0d), weaning (21d), and market weight of approximately 130 kg (176d). At each sampling time, the LM, psoas major (PM), and semitendinosus (ST) muscles were weighed. Samples of the LM were used to quantify the expression of IGF family members, myogenic regulatory factors (MRF), myosin heavy chain isoforms, and growth factors, myostatin, and ZBED6. Liver samples were used to quantify IGF1 and IGF2 expression. At 176d, weights of LM, PM, and ST muscles were all increased approximately 8% to 14% (P < 0.01) in pigs with paternal A (A(Pat)) alleles compared with those with paternal G (G(Pat)) alleles. Additionally, total muscle fiber number in the ST at 176d tended to be greater (P = 0.10), whereas muscle fiber cross-sectional area tended to be reduced (p = 0.08) in A(Pat) pigs compared with G(Pat) pigs. In addition to the expected 2.7- to 4.5-fold increase (P <= 0.02) in IGF2 expression in the LM in APat compared with GPat pigs at postnatal sampling times (21d and 176d), IGF2 expression was also increased (P <= 0.06) 1.4- to 1.5-fold at d90 of gestation and at birth. At d90, expression of myogenic factor 5 (MYF5), a MRF expressed in proliferating myoblasts, in the LM was greater (P = 0.01) in A(Pat) pigs than in G(Pat) pigs. Interestingly, at 21d hepatic IGF2 expression was greater (P = 0.01), whereas IGF1 expression decreased (p = 0.01) in A(Pat) pigs compared with G(Pat) pigs; however, there were no differences (P >= 0.18) in hepatic expression between genotypes at 0d and 176d. These data suggest that prenatal hyperplasia of muscle fibers stimulated by increased IGF2 expression may contribute to increased muscle mass of A(Pat) pigs.