Abstract
Application of modern methods of genetic testing allows to supplement traditional breeding with new ways of predicting economically useful qualities in animals. To improve the parameters of meat productivity in sheep of Russian breeding, the identification of markers in genes associated with the development of muscle tissue is used. One of the promising candidate genes identified in various studies by full genome association search is FRY, the product of which participates in the formation of the cytoskeleton. There has been carried out a full genome sequencing of DNA of Manych merino sheep, based on the results of which the structure of the FRY gene was studied. Several thousand different polymorphisms, mainly single nucleotide substitutions, were detected in the gene structure. The study of the relationship of individual polymorphisms with the parameters of live weight in Manych merinos allowed to describe 46 loci that showed the greatest differences between carriers of different alleles for the studied parameter. Based on the analysis of the results, there were identified three polymorphisms in positions 29188932, 29071055 and 29219339 on chromosome 10, the difference between the carriers of allelic variants of which had the greatest value. Carriers of the mutant allele for the 29188932 polymorphism had an average live weight higher by 26 %, homozygotes for the substitution in the 29071055 position were 8.54 kg (18 %) higher than the other animals. The rams with mutant homozygous genotype at position 29219339 were superior to the rest by 12.07 kg, which is 25 %. All three polymorphisms – 29188932, 29071055 and 29219339 are the single nucleotide substitutions. The substitutions at 29071055 and 29219339 have been previously described in sheep and have nomenclature numbers rs413720596 and rs424225505, respectively. The polymorphism at position 29188932 was detected for the first time and was not listed in international databases. Thus, there are polymorphisms in the FRY gene that are reliably associated with live weight in sheep, which makes it possible to use them as molecular markers.