Authors : Chuan-Sheng Zhang, Li-Ying Geng, Li-Xin DU, Zheng-Zhu Liu, Zhi-Xin Fu, Min-Shan Feng and Yuan-Fang Gong
Abstract: Genetic mutations with major effects on ovulation rate in sheep were recently identified in two genes of the Transforming Growth Factor (TGFβ) superfamily and a TGFβ receptor, namely BMP15, GDF9 and BMPRIB. The FecXG, FecGH and FecB were performed to screen four sheep breeds (small tailed Han, Wadi, big tailed Han and Shandi sheep) distributed along the lower Yellow river valley of China by forced PCR-RFLP method if these genes are responsible for their high prolificacies. The FecB mutation was found in small tailed Han and Wadi sheep but absent in big tailed Han and Shandi sheep. The 154 small tailed Han sheep included all three genotypes (FecB/FecB, FecB/Fec+ and Fec+/Fec+) at frequencies of 0.54, 0.40 and 0.06, respectively whereas the samples of 30 Wadi sheep were only detected two genotypes, 4 were heterozygous FecB/Fec+ and 26 Fec+/Fec+. The frequency of the FecB allele in small tailed Han and Wadi sheep were 0.74 and 0.07, respectively. Results indicated that the FecB mutation is not fixed in two sheep population. The same FecXG mutation of the BMP-15 gene was only found in small tailed Han ewes as in Belclare and Cambridge ewes, frequencies of genotypes FecXG+, FecX ++ and FecXGG were 0.70, 0.27 and 0.03, respectively. There was no evidence of FecGH in any of the breeds sampled. The discovery of the FecB mutation in small tailed Han sheep and Wadi sheep will facilitate the use of FecB allele in improving the prolificacy of non-prolific sheep breeds of China.
Chuan-Sheng Zhang, Li-Ying Geng, Li-Xin DU, Zheng-Zhu Liu, Zhi-Xin Fu, Min-Shan Feng and Yuan-Fang Gong, 2011. Polymorphic Study of FecXG, FecGH and FecB Mutations in Four Domestic Sheep Breeds in the Lower Yellow River Valley of China. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 10: 2198-2201.