Genetic diversity of candidate markers in a local sheep breed from Dagestan in the context of adaptation to mountain pastoral ecosystems

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the polymorphism of the growth hormone GH, calpastatin CAST, growth and differentiation factor 9 GDF9, and keratin associated protein 1.3 KAP1.3 genes in a local indigenous sheep breed from Dagestan using polymerase chain reaction with restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis PCR RFLP. The material comprised blood samples from 59 animals collected in compliance with ethical standards. Laboratory analyses were carried out in an accredited laboratory, where genomic DNA was extracted by phenol chloroform extraction followed by purification and spectrophotometric quality assessment. Genotyping was performed using gene specific primers and restriction endonucleases followed by electrophoretic separation of the reaction products. A predominance of homozygous genotypes at the GH, CAST and GDF9 loci was observed, which was associated with high homozygosity and low polymorphic information content PIC for these loci. In contrast, the KAP1.3 locus showed an increased level of genetic diversity and moderate polymorphism with PIC equal to 0.375. These findings provide a basis for refining approaches to the use of these genetic markers in breeding programmes without reducing the genetic diversity of the population.