| Autor: |
Adeniyi OO; Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Ludwigstrasse 21, 35390 Giessen, Germany., Medugorac I; Population Genomics Group, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Lena-Christ-Str. 48, 82152 Martinsried, Germany., Grochowska E; Department of Animal Biotechnology and Genetics, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, Mazowiecka 28 St., 85-084 Bydgoszcz, Poland., Düring RA; Institute of Soil Science and Soil Conservation, Interdisciplinary Research Center for Biosystems, Land Use and Nutrition (IFZ), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392 Giessen, Germany., Lühken G; Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Ludwigstrasse 21, 35390 Giessen, Germany. |
| Abstrakt: |
Economic losses due to copper intoxication or deficiency is a problem encountered by sheep farmers. The aim of this study was to investigate the ovine genome for genomic regions and candidate genes responsible for variability in liver copper concentration. Liver samples were collected from slaughtered lambs of the Merinoland breed from two farms, and used for measurement of copper concentration and genome-wide association study (GWAS). A total of 45,511 SNPs and 130 samples were finally used for analysis, in which single-locus and several multi-locus GWAS (SL-GWAS; ML-GWAS) methods were employed. Gene enrichment analysis was performed for identified candidate genes to detect gene ontology (GO) terms significantly associated with hepatic copper levels. The SL-GWAS and a minimum of two ML-GWAS identified two and thirteen significant SNPs, respectively. Within genomic regions surrounding identified SNPs, we observed nine promising candidate genes such as DYNC1I2 , VPS35 , SLC38A9 and CHMP1A . GO terms such as lysosomal membrane, mitochondrial inner membrane and sodium:proton antiporter activity were significantly enriched. Genes involved in these identified GO terms mediate multivesicular body (MVB) fusion with lysosome for degradation and control mitochondrial membrane permeability. This reveals the polygenic status of this trait and candidate genes for further studies on breeding for copper tolerance in sheep. |
