Abstract

The study of the BMPRIB gene polymorphisms has become of great importance in sheep, because it provides critical genetic tools to improve reproductive efficiency in ewes. The purposes of this study were: to assess the genetic diversity of the 90-bp deletion polymorphism within the BMPRIB gene in 52 various sheep breeds; to examine its linkage to the p.Q249R variant in the same gene, as well as to analyze its association with litter size. Herein, a total of 2313 various sheep individuals were used to detect the presence of the 90-bp deletion, among them the six breeds (Australian White (AUW), Small-Tail Han (STH), Guiqian semi-fine wool (GQSFW) sheep, etc.) were genotyped using PCR-based genotyping technology (n = 1636), and 47 breeds worldwide (including STH sheep) were genotyped via whole genome sequencing (WGS) method (n = 677). Genotyping outcomes revealed that the polymorphism was segregated in 45 of 52 breeds with varying frequencies (0.05–0.93). It is pertinent to note that the 90-bp deletion is not linked to the famous p.Q249R SNP in population of interest, except in high prolific Hu sheep. The association analysis indicated that the Del-90-bp variant showed no significant association (P > 0.05) with litter size in AUW (n = 625), GQSFW (n = 75) and STH (n = 38) ewes. Nevertheless, further investigation is needed on the importance of the Del-90-bp variant as a DNA marker that could possibly serve as an additional selection criterion in breeding ewes with high productivity.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.