Yang Hengqian, Li Tingting, Zhang Na, Chen Jieran, Zhang Yuting, Peng Shiyu, Zhou Lisheng, Ma Runlin, Zhang Zhichao, Liu Qiuyue, Wang Haitao, He Jianning
College of Animal Science and Technology, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China.
State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Genes (Basel). 2025 Mar 31;16(4):410. doi: 10.3390/genes16040410.
(1) Background: The Hulunbuir sheep is a Chinese local sheep breed with good meat quality and exceptional cold-stress resilience. However, the growth performance of the Hulunbuir sheep is lower when compared to that of commercial breeds. Growth traits such as body weight and body size are critical, as they directly influence the meat production in sheep farming. Employing genome-wide association studies can identify SNPs and candidate genes related to growth traits in Hulunbuir sheep. (2) Methods: The chest girth (CG), cannon circumference (CC), hip width (HW), body height (BH), and body length (BL) of 799 Hulunbuir sheep were measured. All the animals were divided into three groups according to their age (Group 1: 0-6 months old, Group 2: 12-24 months old, Group 3: 48-70 months old). Subsequently, genotyping was carried out using the Sheep 40K liquid chip. A multi-trait genome-wide association study (MT-GWAS) was performed for each group of animals. (3) Results: A total of three candidate genes (, , ) associated with body size traits were identified through GWAS analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment for Group 2. (4) Conclusions: This study identified three candidate genes related to body size in Hulunbuir sheep, providing genetic targets for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in Hulunbuir sheep.
(1) 背景：呼伦贝尔羊是中国地方绵羊品种，肉质优良，抗寒能力强。然而，与商业品种相比，呼伦贝尔羊的生长性能较低。体重和体尺等生长性状至关重要，因为它们直接影响养羊业的产肉量。采用全基因组关联研究可以鉴定出与呼伦贝尔羊生长性状相关的单核苷酸多态性位点（SNPs）和候选基因。(2) 方法：测量了799只呼伦贝尔羊的胸围（CG）、管围（CC）、臀宽（HW）、体高（BH）和体长（BL）。所有动物按年龄分为三组（第1组：0 - 6月龄，第2组：12 - 24月龄，第3组：48 - 70月龄）。随后，使用绵羊40K液相芯片进行基因分型。对每组动物进行多性状全基因组关联研究（MT - GWAS）。(3) 结果：通过对第2组进行GWAS分析和KEGG通路富集，共鉴定出三个与体尺性状相关的候选基因（, , ）。(4) 结论：本研究鉴定出了三个与呼伦贝尔羊体尺相关的候选基因，为呼伦贝尔羊的标记辅助选择（MAS）提供了遗传靶点。
