The Effects of SNPs in the LCORL and LTBP2 Genes on Comprehensive Performance Traits in Charolais Sheep

The Charolais sheep is a world-renowned breed of meat sheep, known for its large frame, heavy muscling, and rapid growth. A novel breed, the Chao Mu meat sheep, has been developed by utilizing the Charolais sheep as the paternal line. This advancement has significantly contributed to the genetic enhancement and breeding of indigenous meat sheep in China. However, body size varies among different Charolais families introduced in China. To address this, we employed DNA-seq combined with MLR analysis to identify key genes associated with growth, slaughter, and meat quality performance. Isolation of genomic DNA was performed from blood samples obtained from 1400 Charolais sheep with recorded production performance data for subsequent statistical analyses of genotypes and haplotypes. A SNP (T136210A) was identified in LCORL, and another (G105452A) in LTBP2, in Charolais sheep. In the haplotype combinations of these genes, for growth, the dominant haplotype in ewes was TTAA. Multiple linear regression demonstrated a significant linear relationship between body weight and these performance metrics. BW = 0.690CC + 0.522LL + 1.546CW + 1.863WH - 2.386BaH + 1.613BH - 0.610BL + 3.422CaC - 0.819SH + 1.555FW - 0.575CD + 0.227HH - 118.193 (R ² = 0.794) in ewes and BW = 1.472CC + 0.509HW - 88.303 (R ² = 0.961) in rams. The TT (LCORL) in ewes and GG (LTBP2) in ewe lamb genotypes are promising candidates as molecular markers for the evaluation of growth performance. Genotypes TT (LCORL) and GG (LTBP2) were associated with slaughter performance, suggesting their potential utility as molecular markers.