BIOTECHNOLOGICAL METHODS OF STUDYING GENE POLYMORPHISM OF SOMATOTROPIN AND CALPASTATIN

Abstract

The growing interest in technologies based on the use of DNA markers is fully
justified by the verification of the association between candidate genes and significant
selective breeding traits. These technologies are successfully used in national selective
breeding programs in many countries with developed livestock breeding. Thus, significant
success in this field has been achieved in beef breeding. There was identification of genes
which were associated with the quantitative and qualitative indicators of beef meat breeds.
However, in sheep breeding, such kind of research is recent. As a result of the modern growth
of worldwide mutton production, there is an increase in the share of specialized meat breeds.
In addition, one can observe the increasing requirements for meat productivity of muttonwool sheep. Candidate genes associated with such parameters are being searched for their use
in selective breeding. Alleles in calpastatin gene (CAST) and growth hormone (GH) can be
potential markers of sheep meat productivity. In this regard, the purpose of our research was
to study the gene polymorphism of GH and CAST in mutton-wool sheep of the ½ Poll Dorset
x ½ North Caucasian meat and wool genotype, which were bred in the Stavropol Territory.
The analysis of the gene polymorphism of somatotropin and calpastatin was performed by
PCR-RFLP method. The gene polymorphism of calpastatin was represented by two alleles, M
and N. Thus, there was determined a high frequency of occurrence of the M allele (0.94) and
a rather low frequency of the N allele (0.06). In the studied gene polymorphism of GH,
represented by two alleles A and B, there was insignificant difference in the frequency of
occurrence. The obtained results of the research demonstrate a variety of allelic variations of
GH and CAST genes in mutton-wool sheep.