ACTA VETERINARIA ET ZOOTECHNICA SINICA

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Analysis of the Relationship between Polymorphism/mRNA Expression Levels of MC1R and ASIP and Coat Color Phenotype in Kazakh Sheep

LI Hong-tao1, 2, ZENG Xian-cun1, ZHANG Wen-xiang1, ZHAO Hai-xuan1, HUI Wen-qiao1,LIU Gang2, LUO Yan1, BAN Qian1, ZHAO Zong-sheng1*, JIA Bin1*   

  1. (1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China; 2. School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China)
  • Received:2012-07-26 Online:2013-03-23 Published:2013-03-23

Abstract:

To investigate the relationship between polymorphism and mRNA expression levels of the two genes (MC1R and ASIP) and coat color in Kazakh sheep, the polymorphism of MC1R and ASIP genes were detected in 168 Kazakh sheep (62 black, 56 white and 50 brown) by PCR-SSCP and sequencing technology, and the relationship between the mutation sites of the two genes and different coat colors were analyzed in sheep. Simultaneously, the real-time PCR was used to detect the expression levels of the two genes in three coat color of skin tissue,their association with coat color was analyzed. The results showed that there was a significant correlation between the MC1R gene polymorphism locus (P.M73K) and coat color (P<0.01), whereas, ASIP gene polymorphic loci was not associated with the coat color (P>0.05). Additionally, the expression level of MC1R in the black hair was significantly different with that in white hair (P<0.01) and brown hair (P<0.05), while the ASIP gene expression was not associated with different hair (P>0.05). Results of the present study indicate that MC1R gene is the major gene affecting the Kazakh sheep coat color.

CLC Number: