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Review
. 2025 Jul 16:12:1616533.
doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1616533. eCollection 2025.

Potential candidate genes influencing meat production phenotypic traits in sheep: a review

Ying Han  1 , Muhammad Faheem Akhtar  1 , Wenting Chen  1 , Xiaotong Liu  1 , Mingyue Zhao  1 , Limeng Shi  1 , Muhammad Zahoor Khan  1 , Changfa Wang  1
Affiliations
Review

Potential candidate genes influencing meat production phenotypic traits in sheep: a review

Ying Han et al. Front Vet Sci. .

Abstract

This review examines the genetic basis of meat production phenotypic traits in sheep, addressing the challenge of enhancing carcass and meat quality to meet global demand. The article identifies key potential genes associated with vertebral traits, body size, muscle development, and fat deposition across diverse sheep breeds worldwide. Through comprehensive analysis of recent literature (2018-2025), the study synthesizes findings from genome-wide association studies, candidate gene approaches, and transcriptomic analyses. Specific potential genes like VRTN, NR6A1, MSTN, ADIPOQ, LCORL, MEF2B, FASN, FABP4, SCD, DGAT1, BMP and HOX family genes demonstrate significant associations with economically valuable traits. The potential genes influencing meat production phenotypic traits (intramuscular fat contents, growth, vertebral traits and body size traits) have been highlighted in this review. This comprehensive genetic marker catalog serves as a critical resource repository for implementing marker-assisted selection programs, providing breeders and researchers with validated genetic targets to accelerate breeding efficiency and enhance meat production in sheep worldwide.

Keywords: carcass weight; genetic markers; meat production; small ruminants; vertebral traits.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic methodological framework showing the literature strategy and the three main approaches (GWAS, RNA-seq analysis, and candidate gene approaches) used to identify candidate genes for meat production traits in sheep.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Conceptual framework showing the major gene categories affecting meat production traits in sheep. Genes are grouped by their primary biological functions, with arrows indicating their influence on final phenotypic outcomes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Biological pathway network showing how genetic factors interact with environmental influences to determine meat production traits. Solid arrows indicate direct genetic effects, while dashed lines show environmental modulation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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