A Novel 13 bp Deletion within the NR6A1 Gene Is Significantly Associated with Growth Traits in Donkeys.

Xiya Fang,Fei Wu,Chunlan Zhang,Chuzhao Lei,Jie Liu,Zihui Zhou,Shipeng Li,Ruihua Dang,Zhenyu Lai

doi:10.3390/ani9090681

Xiya Fang, Fei Wu + Show 7 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9090681

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Abstract

Simple SummaryThe detection of genes potentially associated with economic traits and identification of effective variants can provide a basis for molecular marker-assisted selection of livestock. NR6A1 is a member of the nuclear receptor family and is an important candidate gene related to body size traits. Previous studies showed that NR6A1 gene was associated with body size traits in pigs and other livestock, however, it has not yet been observed in donkeys. In the current study, a 13 bp deletion in NR6A1 gene was firstly identified in donkeys. Analysis showed that this deletion had significant associations with body size traits.Nuclear receptor subfamily 6, group A, member 1 (NR6A1), as an important member of the nuclear receptor family, plays an important role in regulating growth, metabolism, and differentiation of embryonic stem cells. For this reason, the NR6A1 gene is considered to be a promising candidate for economic traits and was found to be associated with body size traits in many livestock. However, no studies have been conducted on NR6A1 in donkeys so far. Thus, in this research, we focused on donkeys and identified a 13 bp deletion in intron-1 of the NR6A1 gene among 408 individuals from Guanzhong and Dezhou donkeys using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Three genotypes were identified, namely II, ID, and DD. The association analysis indicated that the body lengths and body heights5f genotype II individuals were significantly different to those of genotype ID in Dezhou donkeys. Conclusively, the 13 bp deletion was associated with growth traits in both Guanzhong donkeys and Dezhou donkeys, indicating that the NR6A1 gene could be a possible candidate gene in marker-assisted selection for donkey breeding programs.

Highlights

Body size is one of the most important economic traits of livestock
We explored the polymorphism of the donkey NR6A1 gene and its association with body size traits, especially body length and body height
The donkey raising industry is characteristic of animal farming in China, but there is a lack of specialized breeds, which restricts the development of the industry

Summary

Introduction

Body size is one of the most important economic traits of livestock. Length and number of vertebrae are influential determinants of body size traits. Some polymorphic loci identified in the ZBTB38 gene and the NPY gene in Chinese cattle (Nanyang, Qinchuan, et al.) and the UCP3 gene in Simmental Hybrid Cattle [5] were confirmed to be associated with body length, body height, rump length, and other body size traits [6,7], which can be used as molecular markers in cattle breeding. Several studies showed that NR6A1 was associated with the number of vertebrae in pigs and other species [3,10]. Genome-wide association studies revealed that the NR6A1 gene was related to the number of vertebrae in pigs [3]. Polymorphisms in NR6A1 in sheep influence the number of lumbar vertebrae [10]

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