Molecular marker within Major Histocompatibility Complex linked with general growth in sheep

The genetic diversity of a microsatellite marker linked to MHC-DRB1 gene in German Merino sheep was studied and association of this marker with growth trait in German sheep was ascertained. This experiment constituted four consecutive lambing among seven Merinoland rams and 249 ewes and a total of 16 MHC-DRB1 microsatellite alleles were detected, ranging from 353 bp to 857 bp. For ewes carrying the allele 394 and 857 bp the birth weight of lambs was about 400 g higher as compared to the residual group of ewes. Additionally, some genotype classes in ewes and rams too have variant effect on the growth traits in sheep. The observed associations could be due to differences in disease resistance, cell recognition or tissue differentiations between carriers of various MHC haplotypes which can in-turn affect the individual growth performance.