Polymorphism and expression of the HMGA1 gene and association with tail fat deposition in Hu sheep.

Hu sheep is an excellent short fat-tailed breed in China. Fat deposition in Hu sheep tail affects carcass quality and consumes a lot of energy, leading to an increase in feed cost. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of polymorphism on tail fat weight in Hu sheep. Partial coding and non-coding sequences of were amplified with PCR and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of in 1163 Hu sheep were detected using DNA sequencing and KASPar technology. RT-qPCR analysis was performed to test expression in different tissues. The results showed that the expression of was higher in the duodenum, liver, spleen, kidney, and lung than in the heart, muscle, rumen, tail fat, and lymph. A mutation, g.5312 C > T, was detected in ; g.5312 C > T was significantly associated with tail fat weight, relative weight of tail fat (body weight), and relative weight of tail fat (carcass) ( < 0.05). The tail fat weight of the genotype was remarkably higher than that of the and genotypes. Therefore, can be used as a genetic marker for marker-assisted selection of tail fat weight in Hu sheep.