Genetic characteristics of three sheep breeds in southern Russia: Comparison based on genome analysis

Abstract

The importance of the present study is contributing to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms and patterns of the genetic structure of sheep populations developed in specific agroecological conditions in the south of Russia in the evolution, consolidation of economically important phenotypic traits in the ontogenesis and increase in local breed's potential fulfilled, which is especially important when solving the problem of intensifying the sheep breeding industry. The method of genome-wide analysis was first applied to obtain data on the genetic parameters of Kalmyk fat-tailed, Edilbay, and Volgograd sheep populations bred in the South of Russia. Molecular inbreeding and genetic diversity of sheep were assessed. The average level of inbreeding was 2.72% for the Volgograd breed, 1.96% for the Kalmyk breed, and (-)0.0022 for the Edilbay breed. A genetic relationship between the Volgograd and Kalmyk breeds was not identified; large genome regions of the Kalmyk and Edilbay breeds were homologous; the Volgograd breed was genetically isolated. Based on the body weight data, an association analysis was performed to search for genes and genome regions associated with this trait. There were found 4 SNPs significantly associated with the indicated parameter (p<0.00001), i.e. OAR1_18293636.1 (p=7.3 * 10-7) and OAR10_26672645.1 (p=4*10-8). In the 32.69-54.87 Mb segment of chromosome 1, two previously described genes (FARP2 and HDLBP) were located. Of most significant interest was the HDLBP gene, which is responsible for the synthesis of protein that binds high-density lipoprotein and is responsible for the level of cholesterol in the cell.

Keywords

• biodiversity
• genetic improvement
• sheep breeding