Screening for Causative Mutations of Major Prolificacy Genes in Iranian Fat-Tailed Sheep

Authors

Navid Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh University of Guilan

Pouya Zamani Bu-Ali Sina University

Ramin Abdoli University of Guilan

Seyed Ziaeddin Mirhoseini University of Guilan

Abstract:

Objective The presence of different missense mutations in sheep breeds have shown that the bone morphogenetic protein receptor 1B (BMPR1B), bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) and growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) genes play a vital role in ovulation rate and prolificacy in ewes. Therefore, the present study investigates BMPR1B, BMP15 and GDF9 genes mutations in prolific ewes of Iranian fat-tailed Lori-Bakhtiari sheep. MaterialsAndMethods In the present experimental study, genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood of 10 prolific Lori-Bakhtiari ewes with at least two twinning records in first four parities to identify point mutations of the BMPR1B, BMP15 and GDF9 genes, using DNA sequencing. Results The results obtained by sequencing showed a new synonymous mutation (g.66496G>A) in exon 8 of the BMPR1B gene, without any amino acid change. Sequencing of the BMP15 gene revealed a deletion of 3 bp (g.656_658delTTC) in exon 1, leading to an amino acid deletion (p.Leu19del). Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (G1:g.2118G>A, G2:g.3451T>C, G3:g.3457A>G and G4:g.3701G>A), were detected in exons 1 and 2 of the GDF9 gene, which two of them were in the origin of amino acid changes (G1: p.87Arg>His and G4: p.241Glu>Lys). These amino acid substitutions are expected to have a benign impact on structure and function of the GDF9 polypeptide sequence. Conclusion Three major prolificacy genes (BMPR1B, BMP15 and GDF9) were polymorphic in Lori-Bakhtiari sheep, but none of the known main mutations were detected. Further studies using high throughput methods such as genome-wide association study (GWAS) and evaluation of other candidate genes are necessary for the future.

Upgrade to premium to download articles

Already have an account?login

similar resources

Screening for Causative Mutations of Major Prolificacy Genes in Iranian Fat-Tailed Sheep

Background The presence of different missense mutations in sheep breeds have shown that the bone morphogenetic protein receptor 1B (BMPR1B), bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) and growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) genes play a vital role in ovulation rate and prolificacy in ewes. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate BMPR1B, BMP15 and GDF9 gene mutations in prolific ewes of I...

full text

An Overview of Major Genes Affecting Prolificacy in Sheep and Related Mechanisms

The objective of this review is to explore the current developments on major genes working on prolific sheep breeds and the mechanism behind it, while identifying the future working points. Productivity is the ultimate goal of farm animal production and prolificacy is a key feature in determining productivity in farm animals. Ovulation rate in mammals is an intricate process involving genetics ...

full text

Determination of serum haptoglobin reference value in clinically healthy Iranian fat-tailed sheep

Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein of 101 clinically healthy Iranian fat-tailed sheep according to their age (5 years) and sex. Serum haptoglobin (Hp) was measured based upon the preservation of the peroxidase activity of haemoglobin, which is directly proportional to the amount of Hp. The reference value for serum Hp of apparently healthy Iranian fat-tailed sheep was 0.05-0.18 ...

full text

Pharmacokinetics of tetracycline hydrochloride in fat-tailed sheep

Tetracycline may be used to treat several types of bacterial diseases in ruminants. In addition, tetracycline is added to food to promote the growth. There are few reports on the pharmacokinetics of tetracycline in sheep. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the drug in sheep. Ten apparently healthy mixed-breed sheep were administered 20 m...

full text