A Genome-Wide Search for Candidate Genes of Meat Production in Jalgin Merino Considering Known Productivity Genes

In a group of Jalgin merino rams with no significant influence on the dispersion of the phenotypes of known productivity genes (MSTN, MEF2B, FABP4, etc.), a genome-wide search for associations of individual polymorphisms with intravital indicators of meat productivity was performed. Using the Ovine Infinium HD BeadChip 600K, 606,000 genome loci were evaluated. Twenty-three substitutions were found to be significantly associated with external measurements of the body and ultrasonic parameters. This made it possible to describe 14 candidate genes, the structural features of which can cause changes in animal phenotypes. No closely spaced genes were found for two substitutions. The identified polymorphisms were found in the exons, introns, and adjacent regions of the following genes and transcripts: CDCA2, ENSOARG00000014477, C4BPA, RIPOR2, ENSOARG00000007198, ENSOARG00000026965 (LincRNA), ENSOARG00000026436 (LincRNA), ENSOARG00000026782 (LincRNA), TENM3, RTL8A, MOSPD1, RTL8С, RIMS2, and P4HA3. The detected genes affect the metabolic pathways of cell differentiation and proliferation and are associated with the regulation of the immune system. This confirms their possible participation in the formation of the phenotypes of productivity parameters in animals and indicates the need for further study of the structure of candidate genes in order to identify their internal polymorphisms.