Mitochondrial DNA T7719G in tRNA-Lys gene affects litter size in Small-tailed Han sheep

Abstract

Abstract Background In farm animals, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) effect on economic performance remains hot-topic for breeding and genetic selection. Here, 53 maternal lineages of Small-tailed Han sheep were used to investigate the association of mitochondrial DNA variations and the lambing litter size. Results Sequence sweeping of the mitochondrial coding regions discovered 31 non-synonymous mutations, and the association study revealed that T7719G in mtDNA tRNA-Lys gene was associated with litter size (P 0.05). In addition, the nuclear major gene BMPR1B was significantly correlated with litter size in the flock (P 0.05). Conclusions Our results highlight mutations of ovine mitochondrial coding genes, suggesting T7719G in tRNA-Lys gene be a potentially useful marker for selection of sheep litter size.

Keywords

• Association
• Haplotype
• Mitochondria
• Non-synonymous mutation
• Reproduction
• Sheep