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. 2024 Jul 15;15(7):921.
doi: 10.3390/genes15070921.

Genetic Variations of MSTN and Callipyge in Tibetan Sheep: Implications for Early Growth Traits

Kai Zhao  1 , Xue Li  1 , Dehui Liu  1   2 , Lei Wang  3 , Quanbang Pei  3 , Buying Han  1   2 , Zian Zhang  3 , Dehong Tian  1 , Song Wang  1   2 , Jincai Zhao  3 , Bin Huang  3 , Fuqiang Zhang  3
Affiliations

Genetic Variations of MSTN and Callipyge in Tibetan Sheep: Implications for Early Growth Traits

Kai Zhao et al. Genes (Basel). .

Abstract

Tibetan sheep are vital to the ecosystem and livelihood of the Tibetan Plateau; however, traditional breeding methods limit their production and growth. Modern molecular breeding techniques are required to improve these traits. This study identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in myostatin (MSTN) and Callipyge in Tibetan sheep. The findings indicated notable associations between MSTN genotypes and growth traits including birth weight (BW), body length (BL), chest width (ChW), and chest circumference (ChC), as well as a particularly strong association with cannon circumference (CaC) at 2 months of age. Conversely, Callipyge polymorphisms did not have a significant impact on Tibetan sheep. Moreover, the analyses revealed a significant association between sex and BW or hip width (HW) at 2 months of age and ChW, ChC, and CaC at 4 months of age. Furthermore, the study's results suggested that the genotype of MSTN as a GA was associated with a notable sex effect on BW, while the genotype of Callipyge (CC) showed a significant impact of sex on CaC at 2 months of age. These results indicated that the SNP of MSTN could potentially serve as a molecular marker for early growth traits in Tibetan sheep.

Keywords: Callipyge; MSTN; SNP; Tibetan sheep; growth traits.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The peak map of mutated SNPs in MSTN and Callipyge of Tibetan sheep 1. 1 The sequences were subsequently analyzed utilizing the DNAMAN software. The identified location of the red arrow is the mutation site. (A) MSTN mutations marked by the red arrows are located in exon 2 of MSTN A592G (rs410961001). (B) SNP mutation C232T was identified in Callipyge (AF401294) at the sites marked with the red arrow.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The association between sex and growth traits in Tibetan sheep 1. 1 (A) Analyses of the associations between sex and growth traits in Tibetan sheep at birth. (B) Analyses of the associations between sex and growth traits in Tibetan sheep at 2 months of age. (C) Analyses of the associations between sex and growth traits in Tibetan sheep at 4 months of age. BW stands for body weight; BL stands for body length; BH stands for body height; ChC stands for chest circumference; ChD stands for chest depth; ChW stands for chest width; HWstands for hip width; CaC stands for cannon circumference. Different superscript letters indicate significant differences at different levels of significance, with * representing p < 0.05, ** representing p < 0.01, and *** representing p < 0.001.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The association of SNPs in MSTN with Tibetan sheep’s growth traits 1. 1 (A) Association analysis of SNPs in MSTN and growth traits in Tibetan sheep at birth. (B) Association analysis of SNPs in MSTN and growth traits in Tibetan sheep at 2 months of age. (C) Association analysis of SNPs in MSTN and growth traits in Tibetan sheep at 4 months of age. AB represents the heterozygous mutant genotype; BB represents the homozygous mutant genotype; BW stands for body weight; BL stands for body length; BH stands for body height; ChC stands for chest circumference; ChD stands for chest depth; ChW stands for chest width; HWstands for hip width; CaC stands for cannon circumference. Different superscript letters indicate significant differences at different levels of significance, with * representing p < 0.05, ** representing p < 0.01.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The association of SNPs in Callipyge with Tibetan sheep’s growth traits 1. 1 (A) Association analysis of SNPs in Callipyge and growth traits in Tibetan sheep at birth. (B) Association analysis of SNPs in Callipyge and growth traits in Tibetan sheep at 2 months of age. (C) Association analysis of SNPs in Callipyge and growth traits in Tibetan sheep at 4 months of age. AA represents the wild-type genotype; AB represents the heterozygous mutant genotype; BB represents the homozygous mutant genotype; BW stands for body weight; BL stands for body length; BH stands for body height; ChC stands for chest circumference; ChD stands for chest depth; ChW stands for chest width; HWstands for hip width; CaC stands for cannon circumference.
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