Genome-wide association study reveals high genetic diversity and candidate loci for litter size in Hu sheep, suggesting targets for breeding programs.
Hu sheep is a renowned prolific local sheep breed in China, widely distributed across the country due to its excellent reproductive performance. Deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying the high fecundity of Hu sheep is crucial for improving the litter size of ewes. In this study, we genotyped 830 female Hu sheep using the Illumina OvineSNP50 BeadChip and performed genetic diversity analysis, selection signature detection, and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for litter size. Our results revealed that the Hu sheep population exhibits relatively high genetic diversity. A total of 4927 runs of homozygosity (ROH) segments were detected, with the majority (74.73%) being short in length. Different genomic inbreeding coefficients (
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Bao et al. (2024) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: