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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Assessing Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Species Barriers with an In Vitro Prion Protein Conversion Assay
Published on: March 10, 2015
[Influence of prion protein gene polymorphisms on performance traits in German meat sheep breeds]
F De Vries1, H Hamann, C Drögemüller
1Institut für Tierzucht und Vererbungsforschung, Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover. frerich.de.vries@tiho-hannover.de
Abstract:
PrP polymorphisms influence the scrapie susceptiblility of sheep. The objective of this study was to analyse the association between performance traits and the PrP genotype in the sheep breeds German black-headed and German white-headed mutton, Bleu du Maine, German mutton merino, Leine, Texel and Suffolk from Lower Saxony and Westphalia. We analysed performance traits such as scores for muscle mass, type and wool quality and the calculated daily weight gain using linear animal models. In all seven breeds no statistically significant associations were found between performance traits and the occurrence of ARR alleles, and the ARR/ARR genotypes, respectively. All genotyped sheep of all breeds investigated showed significantly superior performance traits in comparison to the non-genotyped animals.
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