Scientists from the North Caucasus Federal University (NCFU) conducted a study on sheep DNA and found markers that affect meat productivity. Scientists are also looking for markers that affect other productivity traits of animals (wool and milk quality). NCFU told socialbites.ca about this.
“According to estimates, this will provide an increase in productivity of up to 20 percent, and will also increase the quality of domestic breeding breeds and the efficiency of sheep breeding, one of the historical branches of animal husbandry in the North Caucasus.” Alexander Krivoruchko, professor of the basic department of genetics and reproduction at NCFU, explained to socialbites.ca.
The intensity of growth and development of muscle tissue in animals is the basis of meat productivity. It depends both on the synthesis rate of muscle cells’ own proteins and on the synthesis of various growth factors, intercellular interaction regulators, hormones, etc. They depend on the effect. This entire system is regulated by a large number of genes combined in gene networks.
Previous studies conducted in different countries of the world have identified a number of key genes whose influence on muscle development is most pronounced. One of the first genes to be identified was the myostatin gene, which limits the growth of muscle fibers. Mutations in it weaken this effect, and muscle mass increases rapidly in animals.
As a result of the ongoing process of selection to improve the meat quality of breeds, some mutations in these genes become fixed as a single variant and do not affect the diversity of productivity qualities of animals in the herd. Therefore, the search for new genome loci, which are structural changes associated with the productive qualities of sheep, is an important task of modern genetics in animal husbandry.
“In our research, we use two types of genotyping to identify unique genes affecting the meat productivity of Russian sheep breeds. These are studies on DNA biochips that assess the status of 600,000 points in the sheep genome and whole genome sequencing, or complete decoding of the genome down to individual “letters” (nucleotides). More Then a comparison is made between the genomes of animals with high productivity and those with low meat productivity. Accordingly, the parts of the genome that differ in them form the basis of changes in the growth and development of animals. To improve meat quality, breeders need to select animals with such markers in their genome, and this can be done over several generations of sheep will allow him to significantly increase the productivity of his breed,” concluded Krivoruchko.
Upon completion of the project, scientists will be able to advise breeders on which animals to choose for crossbreeding, so that the next generation will experience noticeable weight gain, growth and increased productivity in milk, wool and meat.
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