Sheep fertility genes have been studied in Turkey for many years. But so far it cannot be said that a satisfactory result has achieved terms of the number detected polymorphisms on genes. Exhibiting genetic structure local gene resources adapted to particular region is very important sustainability, conservation and breeding studies, other issues such as profitability. Therefore, primary aim th...

association of genetic polymorphism in the calpastatin (cast) gene with average daily gain was examined in iranian purebred kurdi sheep. the genotypes for cast were determined by the pcr-sscp method. blood samples were collected from 84 purebred kurdi sheep belonging to the kurdi breeding station located in the khorasan province, north-east of iran. extraction of genomic dna was based on the gu...

Through their domestication and subsequent selection, sheep have been adapted to thrive in a diverse range of environments. To characterise the genetic consequence of both domestication and selection, we genotyped 49,034 SNP in 2,819 animals from a diverse collection of 74 sheep breeds. We find the majority of sheep populations contain high SNP diversity and have retained an effective populatio...

In the past, natural scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) infections have essentially not been diagnosed in sheep homozygous for the A136R154R171 haplotype of the prion protein. This genotype was therefore assumed to confer resistance to BSE and classic scrapie under natural exposure conditions. Hence, to exclude prions from the human food chain, massive breeding efforts have been...

For the consumer, tenderness, juiciness and flavour are often described as the most important factors for meat eating quality, all of which have a close association with intramuscular fat (IMF). X-ray computed tomography (CT) can measure fat, muscle and bone volumes and weights, in vivo in sheep and CT predictions of carcass composition have been used in UK sheep breeding programmes over the la...

Four Saudi Arabian indigenous sheep populations including Najdi, Hbsi, Arb, and Naemi were genotyped for 16 microsatellite markers recommended by the food and agriculture organization (FAO). This study aims to provide information on the genetic structure of the breeds analyzed and give indications and proposals for the cross breeding program. All loci were polymorphic in all populations and loc...

Animal breeding reports in the Journal of Animal Science (JAS) and in its predecessor, Proceedings of the American Society of Animal Production, were counted and categorized. In 22 volumes of the Proceedings of the American Society of Animal Production, 155 articles had animal breeding content, of which 54% were research reports, 17% extension communications, and 28% syntheses or reviews. Sever...

Kisspeptin signaling in the hypothalamus appears critical for the onset of puberty and driving the reproductive axis. In sheep, reproduction is seasonal, being activated by short days and inhibited by long days. During the non-breeding (anestrous) season, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and gonadotropin secretion is reduced, as is the expression of Kiss1 mRNA in the brain. Conversely, the...