A novel 22-bp InDel within gene is significantly associated with growth traits in goat.

Fibroblast growth factor 7 (FGF7) is involved in lipid metabolism, which is considered as a candidate gene with close relation with muscle development by eGWAs and RNA-Seq analyses. To date, limited research has been conducted on the relationship between gene and growth traits. The main objective of this work was to further investigate the association between novel InDel within gene and growth traits in goat. Herein, mRNA expression levels were investigated in various Fuqing goat tissues. We found that gene was expressed in six adult goat tissues with the highest mRNA levels in adipose tissue. This result suggested that gene might play a critical role in fat deposition. We also detected potential polymorphisms in Fuqing, Nubian and Jianyang Daer breeds. A 22-bp InDel polymorphism in gene was detected in 396 goats and the three genotypes were designated as II, ID, and DD. Correlation analysis revealed that InDel polymorphism was significantly associated with growth traits ( < 0.05). Goats with genotypes ID and/or II had superior growth traits compared to those with genotype DD. In summary, our findings suggested that the 22-bp InDel within gene could act as a molecular marker to improve the growth traits of goats in breeding programs.