PRODUCTIVITY OF YOUNG SHEEP WITH A BLOODLINE OF ½ KALMYK FAT-TAILED + ½ CHAROLLAIS DEPENDING ON THE COMPLEX GENOTYPES OF THE CAST AND GH GENES

Abstract

The preservation of the unique genetic resource of native breeds, as well as the optimization and effective use of economically important traits of animals are important tasks of modern marker selective breeding and genetics. Currently, the use of molecular genetic technologies is in demand for the selection of animals with high productivity characteristics. In connection with the above, the purpose of these studies was to establish the growth rate of young sheep of crossbreeds with a bloodline of ½ Kalmyk fat-tailed + ½ Charollais depending on the complex genotypes of the genes calpastatin (CAST) and growth hormone (GH). The study was conducted on the basis of the Laboratory of Immunogenetics and DNA technologies of the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology of All-Russian Research Institute of Sheep and Goat Breeding – a branch of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “North Caucasus Federal Agricultural Research Center” using the PCR- RFLP method. The object of this study was sheep, which were bred in the peasant farm “Arl” in the Yashkulsky District of the Republic of Kalmykia. Analysis of the polymorphism of the CAST and GH genes revealed the presence in each gene: two alleles of CAST^М; CAST^N and GH^А and GH^В; three genotypes (homozygous variants – CAST^ММ; CAST^NN and GH^АА; GH^ВВ and heterozygous – CAST^МN and GH^АВ). As a result of the selected gene complex variants of the studied СAST and GH genes, in parents (stud ram x ewe) the proportion of crossbred young animals (F1) with a bloodline of ½ Kalmyk fat-tailed + ½ Charollais carriers of three desirable marker alleles (CAST^NNGH^AB; CAST^МNGH^ВB) of two genes was 6,67%, two desirable (CAST^МNGH^AB; CAST^МMGH^BB) alleles – 36,67%, one (CAST^МMGH^AB; CAST^МNGH^AA) marker allele – 56,66%. Consequently, the study of the polymorphism of the studied gene markers opens up new prospects for future research, provides the opportunity for more detailed selection of parental pairs for conducting selective breeding work with herds of meat sheep.