Abstract
Background: The growth hormone gene has a significant impact on postnatal longitudinal growth and development as well as the metabolism of protein, carbohydrates, and fats moreover its effects indirectly relate to bone and skeletal development. The objective of the study was to identify a single nucleotide polymorphism of the growth hormone gene and its association with growth traits in Dorper sheep. Methods: Data were collected from 50 Dorper sheep of 1 to 2 years of age at the University of Limpopo Experimental farm. The objective of the study was achieved by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism and General Linear Model (GLM). Result: PCR-RFLP reports revealed different segment patterns resulting in two genotypes such as AA and AB genotypes. Marker-traits association analysis showed that no significant difference was observed between AA and AB genotypes regarding all the measured traits except with wither height and AA genotype was remarkably related to higher withers height than AB genotype. It can be concluded that GH1 could be used as a genetic marker for marker-assisted selection (MAS) during breeding for the improvement of withers height.
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