GHRL gene-based genotyping of ovine and caprine breeds reveals highly polymorphic intronic sequences in Awassi sheep with several RNA motifs

Abstract

BackgroundThe current study was conducted to identify the genetic polymorphism of ghrelin (GHRL) gene of sheep and goats, as well as to determine whether these polymorphisms were associated with the evolutionary genetic differences in the involved species. This study was performed on 233 sheep and 91 goats. Two genetic loci of 113 bp and 262 bp partially spanning over exon 2/intron 2 and intron 4/exon 5 of GHRL gene respectively were amplified and genotyped using polymerase chain reaction–single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and DNA sequencing methods.ResultsThe SSCP banding pattern of 262-bp locus indicated the presence of four diplotypes (BC, BB, AC, and AB) in Awassi sheep, three diplotypes (BC, BB, and AB) in Karadi sheep, and only two diplotypes (BC and BB) in all goats’ samples. The current study detected several novel SNPs in the ovine–caprine populations as well as two SNPs that are observed only in sheep, including intron4:119 C>A and intron4:123 T>G. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the observed diplotypes resided within ovine sequences and were closely related to caprine counterparts. Computational analyses indicated the presence of various intronic RNA motifs. However, all these motifs were gathered in Awassi breed.ConclusionIt is stated that the intron 4 is highly diverse amongst goats and sheep as well as within sheep with a particular emphasis on Awassi. This genetic peculiarity may in turn suggest a high polymorphic pattern of this breed in comparison with other related counterparts.

Association of GnRH1 Gene with Growth Traits in Two Breeds of Sheep

“…This 5 0 UTR: A [ C SNP-based alteration in GnRH1 expression seems to induce a negative impact on the growth traits since individuals having this SNP exhibited less favorable growth trait indices than individuals without this SNP. However, alternative splicing mechanism has recently been reported to alter mRNA motifs in Awassi sheep, implying a noticeable role for these sequences in affecting the gene expression of the altered mRNA sequences [4]. Unfortunately, no association study between GnRH1 polymorphism and growth traits was published in sheep.…”

Relationship of some metabolic Hormones with Increased Live Body Weight of Male and Female of Karakul and Awassi Lambs

“…Although Awassi sheep have a fat tail and fleece characteristics suitable for carpet, they have slower growth, lower fertility, and lower milk production than the other surrounding breeds in the region, such as Karakul and Assaf (Halil & Özbeyaz, 2020;Almahdawi & Altalib, 2020). However, Awassi sheep is a genetic wealth of great importance in the sheep industry in more than 30 countries in the Middle East as well as around the world (Al-Shuhaib et al, 2019). Improving the productive performance of Awassi sheep under traditional breeding conditions faces difficulties resulting from nutrition deficiency due to the lower natural pastures, the spread of diseases, and exposure to heat stress conditions resulting from high or low temperatures (Ajam et al, 2019).…”

Detection of a novel single nucleotide polymorphism in IGF2 gene with a negative impact on egg production and body weight in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

“…SSCP experiments were performed using a rapid high voltage approach [ 21 ], with several modifications. Briefly, each PCR amplicon was treated with an equal volume of SSCP denaturing-loading buffer (95% formamide, 0.05% xylene cyanol, 0.05% bromophenol blue, and 20mM EDTA, pH 8).…”