Association analysis of the ovine KAP6-1 gene and wool traits in Barki sheep

Abstract

Traditionally, sheep are raised in Egypt for meat and wool production. Selection for higher wool quality could increase its suitability for particular processing procedures in the wool industry, which maximizes the profit of the sheep production enterprise. In this research, the effect of genetic polymorphisms of the keratin-associated protein 6-1 (KAP6-1) on wool traits was investigated in Barki sheep. Animals were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). Results identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs589531301, G > C) with three genotypes (GG, GC and CC) and the genotypic frequencies were 14.63, 43.82 and 41.55%, respectively. The KAP6-1 genotypes significantly (p > 0.05) affected greasy fleece weight (GFW; p = 0.05), prickle factor (PF; p = 0.02), staple length (SL; p = 0.038), fiber diameter (FD; p = 0.015), kemp score (KS; p = 0.048), greasy color grade (GCG; p = 0.037), luster grade (LS; p = 0.048) and the greasy structure (GS; p = 0.038). The noteworthy, animals with the CC genotype produce more wool (GFW = 1.116 kg) with longer SL (9.03 cm), finer wool (FD = 24.34 μm) and higher KS compared to other genotypes. The results of this report presented the KAP6-1 gene as a candidate gene to improve the wool production traits in the Egyptian Barki sheep and worldwide.