Estudo genético de características de importância econômica em uma população multirracial de ovinos de corte: uma abordagem quantitativa e molecular

Abstract

Nowadays, there is great possibility of association between quantitative and molecular genetics. An important impact would be expected in the sheep selection, with the establishment of efficient criteria for meat production selection. The aims of this work were to verify polymorphisms in GDF9, Calpastatine and Aromatase (CYP19) genes; to verify the frequencies of SNP allelic variants in these genes; to verify the effects of these variants on productive and reproductive traits in a multiracial sheep population; to estimate genetic parameters and breeding values of these traits in this population; to verify the effect of genotype of these genes on models to estimate the genetic parameters and to verify the effect of genotype for these genes on estimated breeding values. GDF9 gene is a candidate related to phenotype of high prolificacy. The calpastatine gene has importance on production of meat animals, as it is related to growth and meat quality. Aromatase gene is a candidate affecting the productive and reproductive performance, by its important role in the steroid hormone metabolism. SNP polymorphism of CYP19 gene was investigated by PCR-RFLP technique in a sample of 133 animals from several breed groups of meat sheep. Allelic and genotypic frequencies were estimated for this polymorphism and the effect of these variants on growth,reproductive and maternal traits were investigated, using GLM procedure of SAS software. The studied traits were birth weight (PN), weaning weight (PD), slaughter weight (PA), yearling weight (P1), weight gain from birth to weaning (Gn_d), weight gain from weaning to slaughter (Gdes_abat), weight gain from weaning to yearling (Gdes_ano), age at first lambing (IPP), lambing interval (IP), gestation length (PG), lambing date (DP), total weight of lambs born for female for lambing (PTCN) and total weight of weaned lambs for female for lambing (PTCD). Genetic parameters and breeding values were estimated by Derivative Free Restricted Maximum Likelihood (DFREML) method. The effect of genotype inclusion in analysis models for estimation of genetic parameters was evaluated. The effect of genotype on estimated breeding value was verified. It was not possible to verify the genotype of the animals for GDF9 and Calpastatine genes due the difficulties on the reactions standardizations. So the animals were genotyped only for aromatase gene. In studied sample, it is not observed animals with AA genotype. The frequencies for AB and BB were 0.65 and 0.35,respectively. The allelic frequency did differ among studied breed groups. The aromatase gene presented influence on most studied traits, with difference in this influence according to breed group. The direct heritabilities were 0.21, 0.25, 0.52, 0.39, 0.24, 0.20, 0.21, respectively, for PN, PD, PA, P1, Gn_d, Gdes_abat and Gdes_ano, and 0.01, 0.06, 0.14, 0.06, 0.20 and 0.11, respectively, for IPP, IP, PG, DP, PTCN and PTCD. Positive genetic correlations were estimated among corporal weights. Genetic correlation between Gn_d and Gdes_abat was 0.37 and between Gn_d and Gdes_ano was 0.55. Negative genetic correlations were estimated between IPP with IP and PG. PTCN presented genetic correlation of 0.52 with PTCD. The use of information of genotype of aromatase gene increased the efficiency of models for genetic analyses by BLUP methodology. The animals with AB genotype presented genetic superiority for most studied traits in relation to those with BB genotype. It is possible conclude that the use of marked assisted selection will permit increase the efficiency of selection today in practice with the use of traditional quantitative genetic methodologies