Investigation of growth traits in Turkish Merino lambs using multi-locus GWAS approaches: Middle Anatolian Merino

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Tarih

2024-12-19

Dergi Başlığı

Dergi ISSN

Cilt Başlığı

Yayıncı

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Erişim Hakkı

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Özet

This study explored the genetic basis of growth traits in Middle Anatolian Merino lambs using multi-locus genome-wide association study (GWAS) analyses. Descriptive statistics indicated moderate heritability (h² = 0.363) for birth weight (BW) and (h² = 0.309) for weaning weight (WW), both statistically significant (p < 0.001). Strong genetic correlations were observed between WW and BW (rG = 0.922) and WW and Kleiber ratio (KR, rG = 0.896), implying that simultaneous improvements may be possible through targeted selection. Five multi-locus methods (mrMLM, FASTmrMLM, pLARmEB, FASTmrEMMA, and ISIS EM-BLASSO) were used to identify the polygenic basis of the traits. For BW and WW, 20 and 18 significant SNPs (LOD ≥ 5) were detected, respectively, with some SNPs co-detected by multiple methods. In contrast, only 10 significant SNPs were identified for KR, all exclusively by the ISIS EM-BLASSO approach. Pathway analyses within ± 100 Kb of associated SNPs revealed genes and pathways influencing these traits, which could be leveraged in future breeding programs for enhanced growth performance. The identified SNPs, particularly those associated with BW and WW traits, could facilitate genomic selection if validated in larger and more diverse populations.

Açıklama

Anahtar Kelimeler

Birth weight, Growth traits, Kleiber ratio, Middle Anatolian Merino, Multi-locus GWAS, Weaning weight

Kaynak

BMC Veterinary Research

WoS Q Değeri

Q1

Scopus Q Değeri

Cilt

20

Sayı

1

Künye

Yaman, Y., Doğan, Ş., Kirbaş, M., Önaldi, A. T., & Kal, Y. (2024). Investigation of growth traits in Turkish Merino lambs using multi-locus GWAS approaches: Middle Anatolian Merino. BMC Veterinary Research, 20(1), 567.