Possible correlated or pleiotropic effects on food intake, growth rate and carcass traits (meat quality and carcass composition traits) were investigated for the prolificacy related Booroola gene (FecB). This gene was introgressed in a Texel sheep population by systematic backcrossing with sires carrying the Booroola gene. In a 3-year experiment 273 spring-born male lambs were offered concentra...

Small Tail Han sheep is a widely bred farm animal in China which has attracted lots of attention due to their high prolificacy and year-round estrus. However, the molecular mechanism of its fecundity remains unrevealed. The FecB gene polymorphism has been found to be associated with the ovulation rate and litter size of sheep. In the present study, we constructed an iTRAQ-based quantitative pro...

Involvement of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) in ovarian folliculogenesis has been extensively studied during the last decade. In all mammalian species, IGF-I stimulates granulosa cell proliferation and steroidogenesis. The concentrations of IGF-I and -II do not vary during terminal follicular growth and atresia. In contrast, the levels of IGFBP-2 and -4, a...

The Small Tailed Han is a prolific local sheep breed in China. The bone morphogenetic protein receptor IB (BMPR-IB) gene, which affects the fecundity of Booroola Merino sheep, and the bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP-15) gene, which affects the fecundity of Inverdale, Hanna, Belclare, Cambridge, and Lacaune sheep, were studied as candidate genes associated with the prolificacy of Small Tailed...

AIM Chhotanagpuri breed of sheep reared for mutton in Jharkhand, India, having problem of low litter size and body weight. The response of genetic improvement for traits with low heritability through traditional selection method is time-consuming. Therefore, marker-assisted selection based on a polymorphism study of suitable candidate gene can response quickly. Thus, this study was aimed at ide...

The Booroola fecundity gene (FecB) and growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) gene belong to the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily. The mutations of these genes have additive effects on the prolificacy in sheep. The aim of the present study was to determine the possible mutations of FecB and FecG(H) genes in Lory sheep breed of the Lorestan province, Iran. Sixty blood samples wer...