Vet World Vol.14 February-2021 Article-20
Research Article
Veterinary World, 14(2): 475-482
https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2021.475-482
Genetic variations in the Myostatin gene affecting growth traits in sheep
2. Animal and Poultry Production Division, Desert Research Center, 11753, Mataryia, Egypt.
Background and Aim: Sheep productivity in developing countries is crucial, as this animal is an essential source of meat and wool. Myostatin (MSTN) plays an important role in the regulation of muscle mass through the regulation of muscle growth, differentiation, and regeneration. The present study sought to investigate genetic variation in the first intron of the MSTN gene and the association of variants with growth traits in major sheep breeds in Egypt (Barki, Ossimi, and Rahmani) and Saudi Arabia (Najdi) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing.
Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected, and DNA was extracted from 75 animals. A 386 bp fragment in the first intron of the MSTN gene was amplified using PCR. Polymorphic sites were detected using direct sequencing and then correlated with growth traits using a general linear model.
Results: Sequence analysis of the first intron of MSTN gene identified six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the studied breeds. Four mutual SNPs were determined: c.18 G>T, c.241 T>C, c.243 G>A, and c.259 G>T. In addition, two SNPs c.159 A>T and c.173 T>G were monomorphic (AA and TT, respectively) in the Ossimi, Rahmani, and Najdi breeds and polymorphic in the Barki breed. The association analysis revealed that the c.18 G>T and c.241 C>T significantly associated (p<0.05) with birth weight and average daily weight gain, respectively.
Conclusion: Our results strongly support MSTN as a candidate gene for marker-assisted selection in sheep breeding programs. Furthermore, the identified variants may be considered as putative markers to improve growth traits in sheep. Keywords: growth traits, Myostatin gene, polymorphism, sheep.
Keywords: growth traits, Myostatin gene, polymorphism, sheep.
How to cite this article: Osman NM, Shafey HI, Abdelhafez MA, Sallam AM, Mahrous KF (2021) Genetic variations in the Myostatin gene affecting growth traits in sheep, Veterinary World, 14(2): 475-482.
Received: 10-10-2020 Accepted: 15-12-2020 Published online: 23-02-2021
Corresponding author: Karima F. Mahrous E-mail: mahrouskf3@yahoo.com
DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2021.475-482
Copyright: Osman, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.