Novel InDels of , , and Their Association with Growth Traits in Seven Chinese Sheep Breeds.

The GH growth axis plays an important role in the growth and development of animals and runs through the whole life of animals. Many studies have shown that molecular mutations in key genes of the GH axis will affect the growth and development of animals. The purpose of this study was to explore the distribution characteristics of InDels of , , and in seven Chinese sheep populations, and to further explore the relationship between InDels and sheep growth traits. showed high variation in Chinese sheep, and -53 showed the highest minimum allele frequency (MAF). There was only one InDel mutation site in both and . The genotype frequencies of Hu sheep (HS), Tong sheep (TS), and Lanzhou fat-tail sheep (LFTS) were quite different from other breeds. The association between , , and InDels and body size traits in seven varieties were analyzed. The results showed that there was no significant relationship between and body size traits in the seven sheep populations. There was a positive association between -21 and hip height of LFSH ( < 0.05). -43 reduced body height and chest depth of Small tail han sheep (STHS) and hip width of TS. -44 significantly affected the body weight of HS, the body height of STHS and the head depth of TS. -53 significantly reduced cannon girth of HS, chest of STHS and forehead width of TS. -2 significantly reduced the body weight of LFHS. To sum up, this study revealed the effects of , , and InDels on sheep phenotypic traits, which indicated their potential application prospects in the genetic improvement of mutton sheep.