Two Novel Rare Strongly Linked Missense SNPs (P27R and A85G) Within the GDF9 Gene Were Significantly Associated With Litter Size in Shaanbei White Cashmere (SBWC) Goats

Litter size is one of the most important economic traits in sheep. GDF9 and BMPR1B are major genes affecting the litter size of sheep. In this study, the whole coding region of GDF9 was sequenced and all the SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) were determined in Luzhong mutton ewes. The FecB mutation was genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY®SNP assay technology. Then, the association analyses between polymorphic loci of GDF9 gene, FecB, and litter size were performed using a general linear model procedure. The results showed that eight SNPs were detected in GDF9 of Luzhong mutton sheep, including one novel mutation (g.41769606 T > G). The g.41768501A > G, g.41768485 G > A in GDF9 and FecB were significantly associated with litter size in Luzhong mutton ewes. The g.41768485 G > A is a missense mutation in the mature GDF9 protein region and is predicted to affect the tertiary structure of the protein. The results preliminarily demonstrated that GDF9 was a major gene affecting the fecundity of Luzhong mutton sheep and the two loci g.41768501A > G and g.41768485 G > A may be potential genetic markers for improving litter size.

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Association of gdf9 Gene Polymorphisms With Litter Size in Indigenous Sheep of Bangladesh

Research in Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries ◽

10.3329/ralf.v7i2.48871 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 283-292

Author(s):

Faruk Hossain ◽

Sharmin Akter Suma ◽

Mohammad Shamsul Alam Bhuiyan

Keyword(s):

Gene Polymorphism ◽

Litter Size ◽

Gene Polymorphisms ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Animal Protein ◽

Selection Program ◽

Indigenous Sheep ◽

Gdf9 Gene

Sheep in Bangladesh are well known as efficient users of low quality roughages, welladapted to hot and humid agro-climatic conditions, capable of bi-annual lambing withmultiple births and resistant to common prevalent diseases. They play an important role inthe supply of animal protein. Present study aimed to investigate possible association ofGDF9 gene polymorphisms with litter size. A total of 126 DNA samples extracted from theblood of indigenous sheep from 5 locations namely Tangail, Noakhali, Naogaon,Gaibandha and Satkhira with known litter size were used to study the association ofGDF9 polymorphism by PCR based RFLP method. Two polymorphic regions of GDF9(FecG1 and FecG8) were amplified by PCR, digested with respective restriction enzymesand 126 sheep were genotyped. Current study revealed that genotype and allelefrequency for FecG1 varied among the sheep from different locations. The genotype (GG,AG, AA) frequency were 51.59%, 45.24% and 3.17% and the allele (G and A) frequenciesin the overall population were 74.21% and 25.79%, respectively. There was a significantassociation of FecG1 of GDF9 gene polymorphism with litter size. The homozygous GGgenotype had the lowest litter size (1.59±0.09; n=65) and homozygous AA genotype hadthe highest litter size (2.00±0.41; n=4). No genotypic variations were found for FecG8.Findings of this study specially the polymorphism of FecG1 together with genotyping ofsome sheep could be utilized in the selection program to increase the lamb productionpotentiality of indigenous sheep of Bangladesh. Res. Agric., Livest. Fish.7(2): 283-292, August 2020

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A novel 12-bp indel polymorphism within the GDF9 gene is significantly associated with litter size and growth traits in goats

Animal Genetics ◽

10.1111/age.12617 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (6) ◽

pp. 735-736 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

Xinyu Wang ◽

Qing Yang ◽

Ke Wang ◽

Sihuan Zhang ◽

Chuanying Pan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Litter Size ◽

Growth Traits ◽

Indel Polymorphism ◽

Gdf9 Gene

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Detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms at major prolificacy genes in the Mehraban sheep and association with litter size

Annals of Animal Science ◽

10.2478/aoas-2018-0014 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 685-698 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Reza Talebi ◽

Ahmad Ahmadi ◽

Fazlollah Afraz ◽

Julien Sarry ◽

Florent Woloszyn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Litter Size ◽

Potential Role ◽

Chromosome 6 ◽

The Novel ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium ◽

Gdf9 Gene

Abstract The present study aimed to investigate the presence of polymorphisms at four known genes controlling ovine prolificacy i.e. BMP15, GDF9, BMPR1B and B4GALNT2 in a sample of 115 Iranian Mehraban ewes and their association with litter size (LS) and lambs’ birth weight (BW) traits. Using Sanger sequencing of exons and polymorphism specific genotyping, ten SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) were observed in only two genes, GDF9 and BMPR1B. Seven SNPs were found in the GDF9 gene on the chromosome 5. Among them, six were already described in the coding sequence, and a new one (g.41840985C>T) was found in the 3’UTR. In the BMPR1B gene on the chromosome 6, three novel SNPs were detected in the exon 7 (g.29382184G>A; g.29382337G>A and g.29382340G>A). Allelic frequencies were established for six SNPs among the ten identified and they were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. A significant association was found between the novel SNPs found in the exon 7 of BMPR1B and LS. Present results indicate the potential role of the BMPR1B locus in controlling prolificacy of Mehraban sheep and provide genetic markers for further exploitation in selection to improve reproductive efficiency.

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Genetic polymorphism in fecundity gene (FecG) among Indiansheep breeds Balangir, Shahabadi and Bonpala

Indian Journal of Animal Research ◽

10.18805/ijar.9648 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Jowel Debnath ◽

Ran Vir Singh

Keyword(s):

Litter Size ◽

Transforming Growth Factor ◽

Natural Habitat ◽

Factor B ◽

Sheep Breeds ◽

Homozygous Genotype ◽

Average Litter Size ◽

Pcr Rflp ◽

Selection Of ◽

Gdf9 Gene

FecG (GDF9) is a member of the transforming growth factor-b (TGF- b) superfamily, have been shown to be essential for follicular growth and ovulation. Different mutations in FecG gene caused increased ovulation and infertility in sheep. The present study was designed for screening polymorphism of FecG gene in 250 selected ewes from different sheep flocks representing Balangir (100), Shahabadi (100) and Bonpala (50) by employing forced PCR-RFLP technique. Genomic DNA was extracted from the blood of Balangir, Shahabadi and Bonpala matured ewes with average litter size varying from 1.00± 0.00 to 1.14±0.02 at different parities. Digestion of FecG (GDF9) gene with DdeI restriction enzyme resulted into FecGHH homozygous genotype. In all three sheep breeds, genotypic frequencies of FecGHH were 100% and gene frequency of H allele was unity. This indicates that the FecG gene is fixed in the Balangir, Shahabadi and Bonpala population in the natural habitat. Litter size of Balangir and Bonpala sheep breeds were single but in Shahabadi sheep twin was recorded. In present study all the animals of three breeds were homozygous for FecG and there was no infertility observed in above mentioned breeds in field condition and organized farm, which is not in consonance with previous report. The observed effects could be caused by linkage disequilibrium with other nearby loci. The study revealed that FecG gene is not a reliable genetic marker for selection of high prolificacy in sheep.

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Two strongly linked single nucleotide polymorphisms (Q320P and V397I) in GDF9 gene are associated with litter size in cashmere goats

Theriogenology ◽

10.1016/j.theriogenology.2018.10.013 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 125 ◽

pp. 115-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Xinyu Wang ◽

Qing Yang ◽

Ke Wang ◽

Hailong Yan ◽

Chuanying Pan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Litter Size ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

Cashmere Goats ◽

Gdf9 Gene

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Variant <i>GDF9</i> mRNA is likely not the main cause of larger litter size in Iranian Lori-Bakhtyari, Shal, Ghezel, and Afshari sheep breeds

Archives Animal Breeding ◽

10.5194/aab-60-119-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 60 (2) ◽

pp. 119-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Shahin Eghbalsaied ◽

Farzad Rashidi Khorasgani ◽

Hamid-Reza Amini ◽

Majid Farahi ◽

Maryam Davari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Litter Size ◽

Signal Peptide ◽

Large Dataset ◽

Sheep Breeds ◽

Signal Peptide Region ◽

Twin Birth ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Pcr Rflp ◽

Peptide Region ◽

Gdf9 Gene

Abstract. This study was carried out to screen the GDF9 gene and evaluate the polymorphism effect on litter size of four Iranian sheep breeds using the PCR-RFLP and PCR-SSCP methods. First, sequencing of the GDF9 gene in 16 twin-birth, 4 triplet-birth, and 2 infertile ewes showed that, in addition to G2, G3, G4, G5, and G6 mutations that have been previously reported in other breeds, a new G0 mutation, called C25T, exists in the GDF9 sequence of 1 out of 22 ewes and causes L9F substitution in the signal peptide region. None of the triplet-birth or infertile ewes carried G1, G4, G7, FecGE, G8, or FecGT mutations. In the second experiment, a large dataset was used: 605 individuals including 496 ewes (145 Afshari, 54 Shal, 126 Ghezel, and 171 Lori-Bakhtyari sheep), and 109 rams (26 Afshari, 23 Shal, 10 Ghezel, and 50 Lori-Bakhtyari sheep. There were no sheep carrying the G7, G8, or Thoka mutations. Among all 109 rams that were used in this study, none of them were homozygous for the G1 mutation. Moreover, abundance of heterozygote rams (G1/G+) varied from 0.0 (Afshari) to 28.6 % (Lori-Bakhtyari and Ghezel). The highest and the lowest frequencies of the G4 mutation were 30.6 and 3.0 % in Shal and Afshari breeds, respectively. Moreover, G4 abundance varied from 0.0 to 42.3 %, from 3.0 to 26.9, and from 3.0 to 30.6 % in rams, ewes, and overall, respectively. There was a significant difference in the abundance of G1 and G4 mutations between breeds. However, neither the G1 nor the G4 mutation was associated with litter size in Afshari, Ghezel, Lori-Bakhtyari, or Shal sheep breeds. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that GDF9 G1 and G4 mutations are not the reason for higher litter size in Iranian sheep. Moreover, the GDF9 G0 and G6 mutations do not cause triplet births or infertility in Iranian ewes. Therefore, it is unlikely that variant GDF9 mRNA induces larger litter size or infertility in Iranian ewes.

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Genetic Effects of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Goat GDF9 Gene on Prolificacy: True or False Positive?

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani9110886 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 886 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Xinyu Wang ◽

Qing Yang ◽

Sihuan Zhang ◽

Xiaoyu Zhang ◽

Chuanying Pan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Litter Size ◽

Information Search ◽

Reproductive Traits ◽

High Fertility ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

Growth Differentiation Factor 9 ◽

Linkage Effects ◽

Gdf9 Gene

Goat reproductive traits are complex quantitative traits controlled by polygenes and multipoint. To date, some high-fertility candidate genes in livestock have been unearthed and the growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) gene is one of them, which plays a crucial role in early folliculogenesis. According to the relevant previous studies and the National Center for Biotechnology Information Search database (NCBI), a total of 45 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been detected in the goat GDF9 gene, but which one or which ones have important effects on goat fecundity is still uncertain. Hence, in order to find effective molecular markers for goat genetic breeding and accelerate the goat improvement, this study summarized and classified the above 45 SNPs into four kinds, as well as compared and analyzed the same SNP effects and the different SNPs linkage effects on the reproductive traits in different goat breeds. Since there were many SNPs in the goat GDF9 gene, only 15 SNPs have been identified in more than 30 goat breeds worldwide and they showed different effects on the litter size. Therefore, this study mainly chose these 15 SNPs and discussed their relationship with goat productivity. Results showed that three non-synonymous SNPs A240V, Q320P, and V397I and three synonymous ones L61L, N121N, and L141L played a “true” role in the litter size trait in many goat breeds around the world. However, the regulatory mechanisms still need further research. These results provide an effective tool for follow-up research developing the goat molecular breeding strategies and improving the goat reproductive traits.

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