Abstract
In this research, Ovar-DRB1 gene in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene region was surveyed by DNA sequencing in some of the native sheep breeds that are reared in Turkey. A total of 80 samples were collected from eight different Turkish native sheep breeds, and these samples were used for DNA sequencing.The exon 2 region of Ovar-DRB1 in the MHC gene region was polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified and sequenced. A total of 25 new alleles were revealed in the Ovar-DRB1 gene in Turkish native sheep breeds with 24 variable sites; only 13 sites were parsimony informative. The average pairwise genetic distance was 0.029 % for the Ovar-DRB1 gene exon 2 region. The sequence variations at eight different positions (7026, 7036, 7040, 7053, 7059, 7069, 7131 and 7214) are found in all of the studied samples. G C transversion at position 7081 is only seen in Akkaraman sheep breed, whereas T C transition at position 7097 is only seen in one sample from the Akkaraman breed. Overall, two main groups were detected among the 25 alleles from Turkish native sheep breeds. All Daǧliç and Kivircik alleles and one allele from Karayaka, Malya and Sakiz are grouped together while all the other breeds are grouped in the other branch.
Highlights
Diseases are the most important factor which decrease the productivity in animal husbandry
The NCBI GenBank record AM884914 is taken for comparison of the nucleotide positions because the whole DRB gene is given in this GenBank record
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene family is a well-studied gene region in the vertebrate immune system and encodes antigen recognition proteins used in the adaptive immune response
Summary
Diseases are the most important factor which decrease the productivity in animal husbandry. If the immune system of the animals can be developed, this may avoid or reduce the diseases. The products of MHC genes play a key role in the immune system of the individuals. MHC genes have been extensively studied as candidate genes for disease resistance in many animal breeds (Dongxiao and Yuan, 2004). DRB genes have been commonly used and characterized in the MHC region. The second exon of the DRB gene, in particular, has been the most widely studied gene region because it encodes peptide-binding sites that are extremely polymorphic (Blattman et al, 1993; Amills et al, 1996; Dongxiao and Yuan, 2004). The MHC of sheep is located on chromosome 20 and is abbreviated as Ovar or OLA genes (Brujeni et al, 2009)
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