Investigation of growth traits in Turkish Merino lambs using multi-locus GWAS approaches: Middle Anatolian Merino

Abstract This study explored the genetic basis of growth traits in Middle Anatolian Merino lambs using multi-locus genome-wide association study (GWAS) analyses. Descriptive statistics indicated moderate heritability (h² = 0.363) for birth weight (BW) and (h² = 0.309) for weaning weight (WW), both s...

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Main Authors: Yalçın Yaman, Şükrü DOĞAN, Mesut KIRBAŞ, A. Taner ÖNALDI, Yavuz KAL
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2024-12-01
Series:BMC Veterinary Research
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-04428-7
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author Yalçın Yaman
Şükrü DOĞAN
Mesut KIRBAŞ
A. Taner ÖNALDI
Yavuz KAL
author_facet Yalçın Yaman
Şükrü DOĞAN
Mesut KIRBAŞ
A. Taner ÖNALDI
Yavuz KAL
author_sort Yalçın Yaman
collection DOAJ
description Abstract This study explored the genetic basis of growth traits in Middle Anatolian Merino lambs using multi-locus genome-wide association study (GWAS) analyses. Descriptive statistics indicated moderate heritability (h² = 0.363) for birth weight (BW) and (h² = 0.309) for weaning weight (WW), both statistically significant (p < 0.001). Strong genetic correlations were observed between WW and BW (rG = 0.922) and WW and Kleiber ratio (KR, rG = 0.896), implying that simultaneous improvements may be possible through targeted selection. Five multi-locus methods (mrMLM, FASTmrMLM, pLARmEB, FASTmrEMMA, and ISIS EM-BLASSO) were used to identify the polygenic basis of the traits. For BW and WW, 20 and 18 significant SNPs (LOD ≥ 5) were detected, respectively, with some SNPs co-detected by multiple methods. In contrast, only 10 significant SNPs were identified for KR, all exclusively by the ISIS EM-BLASSO approach. Pathway analyses within ± 100 Kb of associated SNPs revealed genes and pathways influencing these traits, which could be leveraged in future breeding programs for enhanced growth performance. The identified SNPs, particularly those associated with BW and WW traits, could facilitate genomic selection if validated in larger and more diverse populations.
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spelling doaj-art-ee7a00a2a27f49bcac800b5bf8e7e4b92025-08-20T02:39:40ZengBMCBMC Veterinary Research1746-61482024-12-0120111410.1186/s12917-024-04428-7Investigation of growth traits in Turkish Merino lambs using multi-locus GWAS approaches: Middle Anatolian MerinoYalçın Yaman0Şükrü DOĞAN1Mesut KIRBAŞ2A. Taner ÖNALDI3Yavuz KAL4Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Siirt UniversityBahri Dagtas International Agricultural Research InstituteBahri Dagtas International Agricultural Research InstituteBahri Dagtas International Agricultural Research InstituteBahri Dagtas International Agricultural Research InstituteAbstract This study explored the genetic basis of growth traits in Middle Anatolian Merino lambs using multi-locus genome-wide association study (GWAS) analyses. Descriptive statistics indicated moderate heritability (h² = 0.363) for birth weight (BW) and (h² = 0.309) for weaning weight (WW), both statistically significant (p < 0.001). Strong genetic correlations were observed between WW and BW (rG = 0.922) and WW and Kleiber ratio (KR, rG = 0.896), implying that simultaneous improvements may be possible through targeted selection. Five multi-locus methods (mrMLM, FASTmrMLM, pLARmEB, FASTmrEMMA, and ISIS EM-BLASSO) were used to identify the polygenic basis of the traits. For BW and WW, 20 and 18 significant SNPs (LOD ≥ 5) were detected, respectively, with some SNPs co-detected by multiple methods. In contrast, only 10 significant SNPs were identified for KR, all exclusively by the ISIS EM-BLASSO approach. Pathway analyses within ± 100 Kb of associated SNPs revealed genes and pathways influencing these traits, which could be leveraged in future breeding programs for enhanced growth performance. The identified SNPs, particularly those associated with BW and WW traits, could facilitate genomic selection if validated in larger and more diverse populations.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-04428-7Multi-locus GWASGrowth traitsBirth weightWeaning weightKleiber ratioMiddle Anatolian Merino
spellingShingle Yalçın Yaman
Şükrü DOĞAN
Mesut KIRBAŞ
A. Taner ÖNALDI
Yavuz KAL
Investigation of growth traits in Turkish Merino lambs using multi-locus GWAS approaches: Middle Anatolian Merino
BMC Veterinary Research
Multi-locus GWAS
Growth traits
Birth weight
Weaning weight
Kleiber ratio
Middle Anatolian Merino
title Investigation of growth traits in Turkish Merino lambs using multi-locus GWAS approaches: Middle Anatolian Merino
title_full Investigation of growth traits in Turkish Merino lambs using multi-locus GWAS approaches: Middle Anatolian Merino
title_fullStr Investigation of growth traits in Turkish Merino lambs using multi-locus GWAS approaches: Middle Anatolian Merino
title_full_unstemmed Investigation of growth traits in Turkish Merino lambs using multi-locus GWAS approaches: Middle Anatolian Merino
title_short Investigation of growth traits in Turkish Merino lambs using multi-locus GWAS approaches: Middle Anatolian Merino
title_sort investigation of growth traits in turkish merino lambs using multi locus gwas approaches middle anatolian merino
topic Multi-locus GWAS
Growth traits
Birth weight
Weaning weight
Kleiber ratio
Middle Anatolian Merino
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-04428-7
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