The high prolificacy of D’man sheep is associated with the segregation of the FecLL mutation in the B4GALNT2 gene - INRAE - Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement
Journal Articles Reproduction in Domestic Animals Year : 2019

The high prolificacy of D’man sheep is associated with the segregation of the FecLL mutation in the B4GALNT2 gene

Abstract

Mutations in the FecL locus are associated with large variation in ovulation rate and litter size in the French Lacaune sheep breed. It has been shown that the B4GALNT2 gene within the FecL locus is most likely responsible for the high fecundity in the French breed. In this study, we have highlighted the segregation of the FecLL mutation within the B4GALNT2 gene in North African sheep breeds and notably in the highly prolific D'man breed. Genotyping of a sample of 183 Tunisian D'man individuals revealed a high frequency (0.65) of the prolific allele FecLLwhich was attributed to the adoption of a decades‐old breeding strategy based on the selection of ewe lambs born from large litter size. Homozygous LL ewes showed a significantly increased litter size compared to heterozygous and non‐carrier ewes (FecLL/FecLL = 2.47 ± 0.09 vs. FecLL/FecL+ = 2.23 ± 0.09, p < 0.05 and FecL+/FecL+ = 1.93 ± 0.18, p < 0.01). The presence of the FecLLpolymorphism in both D'man and Lacaune breeds argues for an ancestral origin of this mutation and brings an answer to the old question of the genetic determinism of the extreme prolificacy of the D'man ewes. The results of this study can help to establish planned genotype‐based mating allowing both higher profit for the breeders and an optimal management of the FecLL mutation in D'man sheep populations.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
BenJeema_RDA_2019.pdf (416.56 Ko) Télécharger le fichier
Origin Files produced by the author(s)
Licence
Copyright

Dates and versions

hal-02627415 , version 1 (18-07-2023)

Licence

Copyright

Identifiers

Cite

Slim Ben Jemaa, Julien Ruesche, Julien Sarry, Florent Woloszyn, Narjess Lassoued, et al.. The high prolificacy of D’man sheep is associated with the segregation of the FecLL mutation in the B4GALNT2 gene. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 2019, 51 (3), pp.631-637. ⟨10.1111/rda.13391⟩. ⟨hal-02627415⟩
48 View
35 Download

Altmetric

Share

More