Study on SNP of melanocyte stimulating hormone receptor gene in several Chinese indigenous sheep breeds using DHPLC

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of melanocyte stimulating hormone receptor (MSHR) gene was studied by sequencing and denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) in Mongolian sheep, Kazakstan sheep, Tan sheep and Tibetan sheep. The results showed that there is a mutation at position 317 (T317C) within the length of 415bp and the DHPLC is a high-throughput and simple method for screening this mutation. The heterozygote (TC) with shoulder peak could be detected quickly at the first time of DHPLC, and two homozygotes (TT or CC) could be discriminated easily through two times of DHPLC when each homozygous DNA was mixed with a known homozygous reference sample at the second time of DHPLC. All of the populations for this site are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The results also indicated that Mongolian sheep and Kazakstan sheep had close relationship, Tibetan sheep and Tan sheep had close relationship. The relationship among breeds was consistent with that of microsatellite DNA.