Disease relevance of FUT1

• Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F18(ECF18) is a main pathogen that causes edema disease and post-weaning diarrhoea in piglets, and al-fucosytransferase (FUT1) gene has been identified as a candidate gene for controlling the expression of the receptor for ECF18 bacteria [1].

High impact information on FUT1

• In intestinal mucosae of ECF18-resistant pigs which expressed FUT1 but not FUT2 RNA, the levels of alpha(1,2)fucosyltransferase activity were significantly lower (28- to 45-fold, P<0.001) than in susceptible pigs [2].
• Competitive glycosylation involving insertion of the gene for alpha 1,2 fucosyltransferase results in reduction of alpha Gal expression but also of presentation of hitherto cryptic antigens against which natural human antibodies are directed or could develop [3].
• In the second to sixth litters as well as in the first to sixth litters, a significantly lower number of piglets born alive and number of weaned piglets from sows of the FUT1/IFUT1A genotype was found [4].
• The determination of genetic variability by means of molecular genetic markers FUT1 and ESR2, and the evaluation of their associations with reproduction traits in population of Prestice Black-Pied sows have been implemented [4].
• The genetic variations at position 307 nucleotide in open reading frame of FUT1 gene in 26 pig breeds (total 1458 individuals) from 5 western commercial pig breeds and 21 Chinese native pig breeds were investigated by PCR-RFLP [1].

Biological context of FUT1

• The results indicated that if M307G-A point mutation in the coding region of FUT1 gene was the key factor determining the expression of the ECF18 receptor, most of Chinese native pig breeds were absent of the genetic background on the resistance to ECF18 bacteria [1].

References