One of the major determinants for litter size in pigs is prenatal mortality. It occurs most
frequently during the first few weeks of gestation and can be attributed to abnormalities in …

A major limitation for increasing litter size in swine is embryonic loss that occurs during the
2nd to 3rd wk of gestation. High ovulation rates of modern sows have more than supplied …

Contents Improvement in litter size has become of great interest in pig industry as good
fecundity is directly related to a sow's productive life. Genetic regulation of litter size is …

Background In polytocous livestock species, litter size and offspring weight act
antagonistically; in modern pig breeds, selection for increased litter size has resulted in …

Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), a member of the lipocalin family, is a specific carrier of
retinol (vitamin A) in the blood. Numerous studies have shown that RBP4 plays an important …

Candidate genes gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor (GNRHR), prolactin (PRL),
prolactin receptor (PRLR), follicle-stimulating hormone beta (FSHB), luteinizing hormone …

Prenatal losses in US pig breeds range from 30 to 50%, of which greater than 75% occurs
before d 30 of gestation and is thought to result from littermate asynchrony. Numbers of …

Transcription factor forkhead box L2 (FOXL2) and growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF9)
genes have critical roles in the regulation of hen ovarian development. In the present study …

Changes in pig fertility have occurred as a result of domestication, but are not understood at
the level of genetic variation. To identify variations potentially responsible for prolificacy, we …

To evaluate the effect of the PvuII polymorphism of the oestrogen receptor gene on litter size
and production traits in Czech Large White swine, data from 1250 sows and 3600 litters …