Genome‐wide association study to identify genomic regions affecting prolificacy in Lori‐Bakhtiari sheep |
| |
| Authors: | R Abdoli S Z Mirhoseini N Ghavi Hossein‐Zadeh P Zamani C Gondro |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran;2. Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu‐Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran;3. Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA;4. School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia |
| |
| Abstract: | Several causative mutations in candidate genes affecting prolificacy have been detected in various sheep breeds. A genome‐wide association study was performed on estimated breeding values for litter size in Lori‐Bakhtiari sheep. Prolific ewes with twinning records and others with only singleton records were genotyped using the medium‐density Illumina Ovine SNP50 array. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with litter size were identified on chromosomes 3, 6 and 22. The region on sheep chromosome 3 between 75 739 167 and 75 745 152 bp included two significant SNPs (s52383.1 and OAR3_80038014_X.1) in high linkage disequilibrium with each other. The region that surrounds these SNPs contains a novel putative candidate gene: luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR), known to be involved in ovarian steroidogenesis and organism‐specific biosystem pathways in sheep. Known prolificacy genes BMPR1B, BMP15 and GDF9 were not associated with litter size in Lori‐Bakhtiari sheep, suggesting that other biological mechanisms could be responsible for the trait's variation in this breed. |
| |
| Keywords: | GWAS litter size reproduction luteinizing hormone SNP |
|
|
