Abstract
Background: Pigs are vital agricultural animals, with growth traits serving as key indicators of their quality. Methods: In this study, we examined the mRNA expression of ENPP1 as a candidate gene in heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys at 3 days and 6 months of age by real-time polymerase chain reaction method and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci in 165 Xiangsu pigs by Sanger sequencing. Results: The expression of ENPP1 in different tissues of Xiangsu pigs at different stages was significantly different, and it had high conservation in different species.. Sequence alignment with reference data identified five SNP sites: g.64275T→C and g.64429G→A in intron 19, g.64850T→C and g.64911G→A in intron 20, and g.64527T→C in exon 20. Association analysis revealed that g.64275T→C, g.64429G→A, and g.64527T→C significantly influence the growth performance of Xiangsu pigs (p < 0.05). Conclusions: These findings suggest that ENPP1 polymorphisms are closely associated with growth traits in Xiangsu pigs and may provide valuable insights for molecular breeding of this breed.