Abstract

A number of factors contribute to the economic revenue of sheep farmers, but breed improvement via selection is one factor affecting the efficiency of sheep production particularly in relation to wool. The complexity of traits, with partly opposing relationships makes it difficult to select for improved economic values of wool. A further investigation of the genetic background of wool quality, quantity as well as pigmentation traits might assist to unravel the basis of this relationship. Our approach was to identify and analyse possible candidate genes in major linkage regions. Using a combination of positional mapping and literature finding of the gene function, we identified lysosomal trafficking regulator (LYST) as strong candidate gene. Polymorphisms were identified using in-silico screening of scaffolds on the virtual sheep genome assembly v2.0. One of four polymorphisms analysed in the ovine LYST gene was significantly associated with clean fleece weight and coefficient of variation of fleece diameter. However, this polymorphism explained only a small proportion of the phenotypic variation, contradicting unpublished findings of major effects of QTL on chromosome 25 for the same traits. Further analysis is needed to analyse the function of LYST and to find additional genes either having a direct effect on wool quality and quantity or regulating the function of the ovine LYST gene.

Published in

Proceedings of the Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics
2013, Volume: 20, pages: 405-407 Title: Proceedings of the twentieth conference. Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics AAABG
ISBN: 978-0-473-26056-9
Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics

Conference

The AAABG 20th Conference (Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics)

SLU Authors

• Jonas, Elisabeth

  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • University of Sydney

UKÄ Subject classification

Genetics and Breeding


Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/51348