Estimates of Genomic Heritability and the Marker-Derived Gene for Re(Production) Traits in Xinggao Sheep

Zaixia Liu; Shaoyin Fu; Xiaolong He; Xuewen Liu; Caixia Shi; Lingli Dai; Biao Wang; Yuan Chai; Yongbin Liu; Wenguang Zhang

doi:10.3390/genes14030579

Estimates of Genomic Heritability and the Marker-Derived Gene for Re(Production) Traits in Xinggao Sheep

Genes (Basel). 2023 Feb 25;14(3):579. doi: 10.3390/genes14030579.

Authors

Zaixia Liu^{1

2}, Shaoyin Fu³, Xiaolong He³, Xuewen Liu⁴, Caixia Shi¹, Lingli Dai^{1

2

5}, Biao Wang³, Yuan Chai¹, Yongbin Liu⁶, Wenguang Zhang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China.
² Inner Mongolia Engineering Research Center of Genomic Big Data for Agriculture, Hohhot 010018, China.
³ Institute of Animal Husbandry, Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China.
⁴ College of Agronomy, Animal Husbandry and Bioengineering, Xing'an Vocational and Technical College, Ulanhot 137400, China.
⁵ Veterinary Research Institute, Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China.
⁶ School of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China.

Abstract

Xinggao sheep are a breed of Chinese domestic sheep that are adapted to the extremely cold climatic features of the Hinggan League in China. The economically vital reproductive trait of ewes (litter size, LS) and productive traits of lambs (birth weight, BWT; weaning weight, WWT; and average daily gain, ADG) are expressed in females and later in life after most of the selection decisions have been made. This study estimated the genetic parameters for four traits to explore the genetic mechanisms underlying the variation, and we performed genome-wide association study (GWAS) tests on a small sample size to identify novel marker trait associations (MTAs) associated with prolificacy and growth. We detected two suggestive significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with LS and eight significant SNPs for BWT, WWT, and ADG. These candidate loci and genes also provide valuable information for further fine-mapping of QTLs and improvement of reproductive and productive traits in sheep.

Keywords: ADG; BWT; LS; MATs; WWT; Xinggao sheep; genetic parameter evaluation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Female
Genome-Wide Association Study*
Genomics
Phenotype
Quantitative Trait Loci
Reproduction* / genetics
Sheep / genetics

Associated data

figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.22153964

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Science and Technology Major Project of Inner Mongolia (No. 2020ZD0003, No. 2019ZD016), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2021YFD1200905), the Inner Mongolia Science and Technology Program (No. 2021GG0012), and the Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System of China (CARS-38).