Animal Bioscience

Asian Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies (아세아태평양축산학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Understanding molecular mechanisms of vertebral number of variations on Mongolian sheep using candidate genes analysis

  • Chimgee Purev (Technology Incubator, Mongolian Academy of Sciences) ;
  • Huiguang Wu (College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University) ;
  • Khosbayar Lkhagva (Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Mongolian National Center of Livestock Genebank) ;
  • Odbayar Tumendemberel (Fish Genetics Laboratory, Pacific States of Marine Fisheries Commission and Idaho Department of Fish and Game)
  • Received : 2024.04.05
  • Accepted : 2024.07.04
  • Published : 2025.02.01
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the genetic link between variations in vertebral number and meat production traits, such as body weight and body measurements (body length, body height, heart girth, and shin width) in Mongolian (Bayantsagaan) sheep. Additionally, we examined the association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate genes, particularly vertnin (VRTN), nuclear receptor subfamily 6, group A, member 1 (NR6A1), and synapse differentiation-inducing 1-like (SYNDIG1L), with vertebral number variations and their potential impact on meat production traits. Methods: The study involved 220 Bayantsagaan sheep from Bayantsagaan soum, Tov province, Mongolia, including 104 sheep with extra vertebrae group and 116 individuals with typical vertebral number as the control group. Morphological data, including body weight and body measurements, were collected, and genetic samples were obtained. The impact of vertebral number on morphological traits was estimated using a general linear model. The SNPs in the VRTN, NR6A1, and SYNDIG1L genes were sequenced, and their association with vertebral number was analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. Results: Bayantsagaan sheep with extra vertebrae were, on average, 4.45 kg heavier and exhibited higher variability in body size traits compared to the control group. Four polymorphic sites were identified at the VRTN gene, with one polymorphic locus (VRTN1716) showing a significant association with vertebrae number and body size. Sheep with C/C genotype at VRTN1716 locus, had more vertebrae and larger body size compared to other genotypes. Conclusion: The findings suggest that variations in vertebral number and VRTN gene polymorphisms are linked to favorable meat production traits in Bayantsagaan sheep. The identified SNP (VRTN1716) associated with vertebral number and body size offers the potential for marker-assisted selection in breeding programs. These results provide valuable insights into the genetic basis of meat production traits in Bayantsagaan sheep and may contribute to the development of more efficient breeding strategies.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

We are grateful to the local specialist of animal husbandry, zoo engineer Ganbaatar Banzragch, and Altangerel Gendenjamts, as well as herders including Jargal, Lhagvasuren and Samdantsoodol from Bayantsagaan soum, Tuv province of Mongolia, sampling from their livestock and their help in the data collection during the fieldwork. We would like to thank Gankhuyag Puntsag from the National Center of Livestock Gene Bankin Darkhan for providing laboratory facilities and labor assistance during this study. Our special thanks go to the researchers, Unudbayasgalan Zunduibaatar, Delgerzul Baatar, and others from the Genetics Laboratory of the Institute of Biology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, for their invaluable assistance with the laboratory work. We are also grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their insightful feedback, which significantly improved this manuscript.

References

  1. Zhang X, Li C, Li X, et al. Association analysis of polymorphism in the NR6A1 gene with the lumbar vertebrae number traits in sheep. Genes Genomics 2019;41:1165-71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13258-019-00843-5
  2. Mongolian statistical information service. Livestock [Internet]. National Statistics Office of Mongolia; c2024. [cited 2023 Dec 1] Available from: https://www2.1212.mn/Stat.aspx?LIST_ID=976_L10_1&type=description
  3. Ghotbaldini H, Mohammadabadi M, Nezamabadi-pour H, Babenko OI, Bushtruk MV, Tkachenko SV. Predicting breeding value of body weight at 6-month age using Artificial Neural Networks in Kermani sheep breed. Acta Sci 2019; 41:e45282. https://doi.org/10.4025/actascianimsci.v41i1.45282 
  4. King JWB, Roberts RC. Carcass length in the bacon pig; its association with vertebrae numbers and prediction from radiographs of the young pig. Anim Sci 1960;2:59-65. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003356100033493
  5. Liling Z, Xuguang L, Siqinbilig, Shiquan Z. The lengths of thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and the performance of Mongolia sheep. J Inner Mongolia Inst Agric Anim Husb 1998;19:1-5.
  6. Donaldson CL, Lambe NR, Maltin CA, Knott S, Bunger L. Between-and within-breed variations of spine characteristics in sheep. J Anim Sci 2013;91:995-1004. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2012-5456
  7. Zhang LL. Genetic mechanism of polyspinous phenomena in Mongolian sheep. China Sheep 1996;6:1-3.
  8. Borchers N, Reinsch N, Kalm E. The number of ribs and vertebrae in a pietrain cross: variation, heritability and effects on performance traits. J Anim Breed Genet 2004;121:392-403. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0388.2004.00482.x
  9. Ibrahim DA, Myung KS, Skaggs DL. Ten percent of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis have variations in the number of thoracic or lumbar vertebrae. J Bone Joint Surg 2013;95:828-33. https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.L.00461
  10. Nassiry M, Eftekhar Shahroodi F, Mosafer J, et al. Analysis and frequency of bovine lymphocyte antigen (BoLA-DRB3) alleles in iranian holstein cattle. Russ J Genet 2005;41:664-8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11177-005-0142-5
  11. Mikawa S, Hayashi T, Nii M, Shimanuki S, Morozumi T, Awata T. Two quantitative trait loci on sus scrofa chromosomes 1 and 7 affecting the number of vertebrae. J Anim Sci 2005; 83:2247-54. https://doi.org/10.2527/2005.83102247x
  12. Mikawa S, Sato S, Nii M, Morozumi T, et al. Identification of a second gene associated with variation in vertebral number in domestic pigs. BMC Genet 2011;12:5. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2156-12-5
  13. Mikawa S, Morozumi T, Shimanuki SI, et al. Fine mapping of a swine quantitative trait locus for number of vertebrae and analysis of an orphan nuclear receptor, germ cell nuclear factor (NR6A1). Genome Res 2007;17:586-93. https://doi.org/10.1101/gr.6085507
  14. Zhang L, Xin L, Liang J, et al. Quantitative trait loci for the number of vertebrae on Sus scrofa chromosomes 1 and 7 independently influence the numbers of thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in pigs. J Integr Agric 2015;14:2027-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2095-3119(15)61084-X
  15. Zhong YJ, Yang Y, Wang XY, Di R, Chu MX, Liu QY. Expression analysis and single-nucleotide polymorphisms of SYNDIG1L and UNC13C genes associated with thoracic vertebral numbers in sheep (ovis aries). Arch Anim Breed 2021;64:131-8. https://doi.org/10.5194/aab-64-131-2021
  16. Pedigree Rating System. Status of genetic resources of livestock in Mongolia, Mongol breeds [Internet]. Veterinary and breeding department. c2017 [cited 2023 Feb 12]. Available from: https://www.muz.gov.mn/breeds/view/5
  17. Chimgee P, Altangerel G, Ganbaatar B, Zorigtbaatar D. The Biological potential and performance of Bayantsagaan sheep with more vertebra. Mongolian J Agric Sci 2023;15:17-26. 2023;15:16-24. https://doi.org/10.5564/mjas.v15i37.3088
  18. Geneious. Explore the Scientific R&D Platform [Internet]. Dotmatics. c2022 [cited 2022 Dec 12]. Available from: https://geneious.com
  19. Zhang Z, Sun Y, Du W, He S, Liu M, Tian C. Effects of vertebral number variations on carcass traits and genotyping of vertnin candidate gene in Kazakh sheep. Asian-Australas J Anim Sci 2017;30:1234-8. https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.16.0959
  20. Tamura K, Stecher G, Kumar S. MEGA11: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis version 11. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:3022-7. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msab120
  21. Kumar S, Stecher G, Li M, Knyaz C, Tamura K. MEGA X: Molecular evolutionary genetics analysis across computing platforms. Mol Biol Evol 2018;35:1547-9. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msy096
  22. Choi Y, Sims GE, Murphy S, Miller JR, Chan AP. Predicting the functional effect of amino acid substitutions and indels. PLoS ONE 2012;7:e46688. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0046688
  23. Core Team, R. The R project for statistical computing [Internet]. The R Foundation c2023 [cited 2023 Jan 18]. Available from: https://www.R-project.org/
  24. Peakall R, Smouse PE. GENALEX 6: genetic analysis in Excel. Population genetic software for teaching and research. Mol Ecol Notes 2006;6:288-95. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-8286.2005.01155.x
  25. Excoffier L, Lischer HE. Arlequin suite ver 3.5: a new series of programs to perform population genetics analyses under Linux and Windows. Mol Ecol Resour 2010;10:564-7. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-0998.2010.02847.x
  26. Akaike H. Akaike's information criterion. In: Lovric M, editor. International encyclopedia of statistical science. Berlin Heidelberg, Germany: Springer; 2011. p. 25. https://doi.org/10. 1007/978-3-642-04898-2_110 1007/978-3-642-04898-2_110
  27. Sjoberg DD, Whiting K, Curry M, Lavery JA, Larmarange J. Reproducible summary tables with the gtsummary package. R J 2021;13:570-80. https://doi.org/10.32614/rj-2021-053
  28. Bishop S, Morris C. Genetics of disease resistance in sheep and goats. Small Rumin Res 2007;70:48-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2007.01.006
  29. Lee YS, Shin D, Song KD. Dominance effects of ion transport and ion transport regulator genes on the final weight and backfat thickness of landrace pigs by dominance deviation analysis. Genes Genomics 2018;40:1331-8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13258-018-0728-7
  30. An B, Xu L, Xia J, et al. Multiple association analysis of loci and candidate genes that regulate body size at three growth stages in Simmental beef cattle. BMC Genet 2020;21:32. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12863-020-0837-6
  31. Duan Y, Zhang H, Zhang Z, et al. VRTN is required for the development of thoracic vertebrae in mammals. Int J Biol Sci 2018;14:667-81. https://doi.org/10.7150/ijbs.23815
  32. Rohrer GA, Nonneman DJ, Wiedmann RT, Schneider JF. A study of vertebra number in pigs confirms the association of vertnin and reveals additional QTL. BMC Genet 2015; 16:129. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12863-015-0286-9