Genome-wide association studies for growth and meat production traits in sheep

Li Zhang; Jiasen Liu; Fuping Zhao; Hangxing Ren; Lingyang Xu; Jian Lu; Shifang Zhang; Xiaoning Zhang; Caihong Wei; Guobin Lu; Youmin Zheng; Lixin Du

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0066569

Genome-wide association studies for growth and meat production traits in sheep

PLoS One. 2013 Jun 25;8(6):e66569. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066569. Print 2013.

Authors

Li Zhang¹, Jiasen Liu, Fuping Zhao, Hangxing Ren, Lingyang Xu, Jian Lu, Shifang Zhang, Xiaoning Zhang, Caihong Wei, Guobin Lu, Youmin Zheng, Lixin Du

Affiliation

¹ Animal Genetics and Breeding Department, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China. zhangli@263.net

Abstract

Background: Growth and meat production traits are significant economic traits in sheep. The aim of the study is to identify candidate genes affecting growth and meat production traits at genome level with high throughput single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) genotyping technologies.

Methodology and results: Using Illumina OvineSNP50 BeadChip, we performed a GWA study in 329 purebred sheep for 11 growth and meat production traits (birth weight, weaning weight, 6-month weight, eye muscle area, fat thickness, pre-weaning gain, post-weaning gain, daily weight gain, height at withers, chest girth, and shin circumference). After quality control, 319 sheep and 48,198 SNPs were analyzed by TASSEL program in a mixed linear model (MLM). 36 significant SNPs were identified for 7 traits, and 10 of them reached genome-wise significance level for post-weaning gain. Gene annotation was implemented with the latest sheep genome Ovis_aries_v3.1 (released October 2012). More than one-third SNPs (14 out of 36) were located within ovine genes, others were located close to ovine genes (878bp-398,165bp apart). The strongest new finding is 5 genes were thought to be the most crucial candidate genes associated with post-weaning gain: s58995.1 was located within the ovine genes MEF2B and RFXANK, OAR3_84073899.1, OAR3_115712045.1 and OAR9_91721507.1 were located within CAMKMT, TRHDE, and RIPK2 respectively. GRM1, POL, MBD5, UBR2, RPL7 and SMC2 were thought to be the important candidate genes affecting post-weaning gain too. Additionally, 25 genes at chromosome-wise significance level were also forecasted to be the promising genes that influencing sheep growth and meat production traits.

Conclusions: The results will contribute to the similar studies and facilitate the potential utilization of genes involved in growth and meat production traits in sheep in future.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Animals
Body Weight / genetics
Female
Genetic Loci / genetics
Genome-Wide Association Study*
Genotyping Techniques
Humans
Male
Meat*
Mutation
Organ Size / genetics
Phenotype*
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
Quality Control
Sheep / genetics*
Sheep / growth & development*
Weaning

Grants and funding

This study was supported by National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (No. 2011AA100307-02), China Agriculture Research System (CARS-39) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (30972094). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.