Specificities for PRAT were further enlightened for three upstream candidates that were over-expressed in HF pigs, without any significant variations in their expression levels compared with LF pigs in SCAT: RXRG involved in mediating the anti-proliferative effects of retinoic acid, the nuclear respiratory factor NRF1 involved in cell response to stress, and the myocyte enhancer factor MEF2A involved in innate immune response. The gene discussed is PPAT; the disease is hydrops fetalis.