CANDIDATE GENES ASSOCIATED WITH CHEST WIDTH IN THE RUSSIAN MEAT MERINO SHEEP

Abstract

Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) has recently been widely used in
the field of genetics and selective breeding of farm animals. Researches are aimed at identifying variants in genomic loci, which are associated with specific traits in a population, in particular, identifying associations between common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
and productive traits in animals. The paper presents the results of studies that are devoted to
the search for single nucleotide substitutions and candidate genes, which are associated with
chest width in young rams of the Russian Meat Merino breed. The object of the research was
clinically healthy animals (n = 50). The experimental work was carried out in the agricultural
production co-operative “Plemennoi Zavod Vtoraia Piatiletka” in the Ipatovsky District of the
Stavropol Territory. Animal genotyping was performed with the use of Ovine Infinium HD
BeadChip 600K according to the manufacturer's protocol. Quality control of genotyping was
carried out with the use of PLINK V.1.07 software. The genome assembly Ovis_Aries_3.1
was used for SNP mapping. As a result of our research, we discovered 13 single nucleotide
polymorphisms, which were associated with chest width in one-year-old rams. Polymorphisms were localized on chromosomes 18, 3, 16, 6, 1, 2, 4. Determining the location of the
substitutions allowed us to identify 11 candidate genes (LINGO1, ANKS1B, ENSOARG00000006105, CFI, USP33, IFI44, ENSOARG00000025572, TMPRSS15,
ARHGEF26, ENSOARG00000014626, UPP1), which were associated with chest width. Protein products of genes are involved in important intracellular and physiological processes.
Further studies will confirm the influence of the proposed candidate genes on the phenotype,
as well as examine their structures in detail in order to study mutations, which cause changes
in the phenotype in the Russian Meat Merino young rams.