Polymorphism Detection of <i>GDF9</i> Gene and Its Association with Litter Size in Luzhong Mutton Sheep (<i>Ovis aries</i>)

• Main Authors: Fengyan Wang, Mingxing Chu, Linxiang Pan, Xiangyu Wang, Xiaoyun He, Rensen Zhang, Lin Tao, Yongfu La, Lin Ma, Ran Di
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-02-01
• Series: Animals
• Subjects: sheep; <i>GDF9</i> gene; <i>FecB</i> gene; litter size
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/2/571

Litter size is one of the most important economic traits in sheep. <em>GDF9 </em>and<em> BMPR1B</em><em> </em>are major genes affecting the litter size of sheep. In this study, the whole coding region of <em>GDF9</em> was sequenced and all the SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) were determined in Luzhong mutton ewes. The <em>FecB</em> mutation was genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY^®SNP assay technology. Then, the association analyses between polymorphic loci of <em>GDF9 </em>gene, <em>FecB,</em> and litter size were performed using a general linear model procedure. The results showed that eight SNPs were detected in <em>GDF9</em> of Luzhong mutton sheep, including one novel mutation (g.41769606 T > G). The g.41768501A > G, g.41768485 G > A in <em>GDF9</em> and <em>FecB</em> were significantly associated with litter size in Luzhong mutton ewes. The g.41768485 G > A is a missense mutation in the mature GDF9 protein region and is predicted to affect the tertiary structure of the protein. The results preliminarily demonstrated that <em>GDF9</em> was a major gene affecting the fecundity of Luzhong mutton sheep and the two loci g.41768501A > G and g.41768485 G > A may be potential genetic markers for improving litter size.