Abstract
Small Tail Han Sheep has significant characteristics of high prolificacy and non-seasonal ovulatory activity and is an excellent local sheep breed in P. R. China. Recently a novel member of the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) superfamily termed bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) was shown to be specifically expressed in oocytes and to be essential for female fertility. Therefore, BMP15 is a candidate gene for reproductive performance of Small Tail Han Sheep. The whole genomic nucleotide sequence of BMP15 gene in Small Tail Han Sheep was searched for polymorphisms by PCR-SSCP and direct sequencing, and only one polymorphism was found. The polymorphism was a result of a 3 base pair deletion, which eliminated a single Leu codon (CTT). The allelic frequencies for A (without deletion) and B (with a codon deletion) are 0.73 and 0.27 respectively. The effects of BMP15 genotype on litter size were evaluated using the least squares model. This indicated that there was a significant association between litter size of Small Tail Han Sheep and a deletion in BMP15 gene (p=0.02<0.05). Small Tail Han Sheep ewes with AA and AB genotype produce on average 0.5 and 0.3 more lambs per litter than those ewes with BB genotype.
Highlights
Reproductive traits are of primary interest in farm animals because they play a major role in efficiency of livestock production
The whole genomic nucleotide sequence of Bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) gene in Small Tail Han Sheep was searched for polymorphisms by PCR-single strand conformation polymorphisms (SSCP) and direct sequencing, and only one polymorphism was found
One explanation is that 50% of normal levels of the active peptide allows more than one follicle to be selected for ovulation by reducing the number of mitotic divisions and the amount of steroid or inhibin produced by each follicle and delaying suppressive effects on plasma FSH concentrations (Henderson et al, 1988). Another possibility is that reduced levels of biologically active BMP15 affects the actions of other oocyte-derived growth factors on granulosa cell proliferation and differentiation such as growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF-9) (McGrath et al, 1995), a closely related member of the TGFβsuperfamily
Summary
State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094, P. BMP15 is a candidate gene for reproductive performance of Small Tail Han Sheep. The whole genomic nucleotide sequence of BMP15 gene in Small Tail Han Sheep was searched for polymorphisms by PCR-SSCP and direct sequencing, and only one polymorphism was found. The effects of BMP15 genotype on litter size were evaluated using the least squares model. This indicated that there was a significant association between litter size of. Small Tail Han Sheep and a deletion in BMP15 gene (p=0.02
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