| Summary: | The Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15 (<i>BMP15</i>) gene is known to have multiple single-nucleotide polymorphism sites associated with sheep fecundity. This study used gene sequence analysis and mutation detection assays for <i>BMP15</i> by using 205 blood samples of ewes with known lambing records. Sequence analysis showed that mutation B1 missed the CTT base in exon 1 at positions 28–30, leading to a leucine deletion in the BMP15 protein. Litter size of ewes differed significantly between BB and B+ genotypes of B1 (<i>p</i> < 0.05); however, the differences between wild genotype (++) and homozygous (BB) or wild genotype (++) and heterozygous (B+) were not significant (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Another mutation, T755C, is a T-to-C base change at position 755 of exon 2, resulting in leucine replacement by proline at this position of the BMP15 protein (p.L252P). Two genotypes were identified in the flock: heterozygous (E+) and wild-type genotype (++). Ewes with heterozygous (E+) p.L252P had significantly larger litter sizes than those with the wild-type genotype (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Comprehensive analysis suggests that p.L252P is a mutation that affects fecundity in Cele black sheep.
|
|---|