Muhetapa Maimaitijiang, Zhu Mengting, Qi Aladaer, Yiming Sulaiman
College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830000, China.
Biology (Basel). 2025 May 30;14(6):636. doi: 10.3390/biology14060636.
Sheep have evolved remarkable phenotypic diversity through artificial and natural selection, with reproductive traits being pivotal for breeding economics. As a unique genetic resource, Pishan red sheep exhibit exceptional advantages, including perennial estrus, high fecundity, and stable hereditary characteristics, establishing them as an optimal model for investigating reproductive genetics. In this study, we performed whole-genome resequencing of Pishan red sheep, generating 9084.81 Gb of raw data and identifying 53,968,686 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Through selective sweep analysis, 92 genomic regions under selection were detected, containing 90 positional candidate genes significantly associated with growth, reproduction, and immune functions. Notably, we revealed BMPRIB, UNC5C, PDLIM5, GRID2, and HPGDS as core positional candidate genes influencing litter size, operating through the TGF-beta and Thyroid hormone signaling pathways. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) further identified 59 trait-related SNPs, including 39 loci linked to growth traits (affecting positional candidate genes such as PROM1, TAPT1, LDB2, and KIF16B) and 20 loci of positional candidate genes associated with reproductive traits (involving ASPA, RAP1GAP2, PHIP, and WDR82).These findings not only elucidate the molecular basis of superior reproductive performance in Pishan red sheep, but also provide functional markers for precision breeding.
绵羊通过人工选择和自然选择进化出了显著的表型多样性，繁殖性状对养殖经济至关重要。作为一种独特的遗传资源，皮山红羊具有诸多优势，包括常年发情、高繁殖力和稳定的遗传特性，使其成为研究繁殖遗传学的理想模型。在本研究中，我们对皮山红羊进行了全基因组重测序，产生了9084.81 Gb的原始数据，并鉴定出53,968,686个高质量单核苷酸多态性（SNP）。通过选择性清除分析，检测到92个受选择的基因组区域，其中包含90个与生长、繁殖和免疫功能显著相关的位置候选基因。值得注意的是，我们发现BMPRIB、UNC5C、PDLIM5、GRID2和HPGDS是影响产仔数的核心位置候选基因，它们通过TGF-β和甲状腺激素信号通路发挥作用。全基因组关联研究（GWAS）进一步鉴定出59个与性状相关的SNP，其中39个位点与生长性状相关（影响PROM1、TAPT1、LDB2和KIF16B等位置候选基因），20个位点与繁殖性状相关（涉及ASPA、RAP1GAP2、PHIP和WDR82等位置候选基因）。这些发现不仅阐明了皮山红羊优良繁殖性能的分子基础，还为精准育种提供了功能标记。
