Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (4): 1744-1754.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2025.04.023

• Animal Genetics and Breeding • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Genome-wide Association Study of Body Traits in Dezhou Donkey

LI Cong1(), SU Jiangtian1, LI Yidan1, WANG Zhaofei1, YU Jie2, LEI Chuzhao1, DANG Ruihua1,*()   

  1. 1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
    2. National Engineering Research Center for Gelatin-based Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dong'e E'jiao Co., Ltd., Liaocheng 252201, China
  • Received:2024-10-08 Online:2025-04-23 Published:2025-04-28
  • Contact: DANG Ruihua E-mail:lc863749946@163.com;dangruihua@nwsuaf.edu.cn

Abstract:

To investigate the genetic basis of the body traits in Dezhou donkeys, this study collected blood samples from 139 healthy female Dezhou donkeys aged 2-3 years old as experimental materials. Body traits of the experimental population were measured, and descriptive statistical analyses were conducted. All individuals were genotyped using the 'Molbreeding Donkey No. 1' 40K liquid chip. The mixed linear model was used to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 11 body traits, and functional annotation and pathway enrichment analysis was performed on candidate genes. The fine mapping and linkage disequilibrium analyses was combined to detect the potential causal SNP loci associated with body traits. The GWAS results revealed 3 SNPs at the genome-wide significance level, 20 SNPs at the genome-wide suggestive level, and 41 candidate genes were identified as significantly associated with body traits. The GO and KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that candidate genes were significantly enriched in biological processes related to osteogenic differentiation, skeletal muscle development and lipid metabolism. Fine mapping and linkage disequilibrium analysis detected 4 significant SNPs with strong linkage disequilibrium within the candidate region on chromosome 16. The results of this study lay the foundation for the analysis of the genetic mechanism of body traits in Dezhou donkeys, and provide a reference for the application of molecular marker-assisted selection in donkey breeding.

Key words: Dezhou donkey, body traits, genome-wide association study, fine mapping

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