Detecting Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in <i>MEF2B</i> and <i>UCP3</i> and Elucidating Their Association with Sheep Growth Traits

Abstract

Herein we detected single nucleotide polymorphisms in <i>MEF2B</i> and <i>UCP3</i> by DNA sequencing and the KASPar technology and analyzed their association with sheep growth traits. Two synonymous mutations, g.1826 C > T and g.10266 G > C, were detected, respectively, and they were found to be significantly associated with sheep growth traits (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In case of <i>MEF2B</i> g.1826 C > T, the average body weight and chest and cannon circumference of sheep with the CC genotype were significantly higher than those of sheep with the CT and TT genotypes (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Moreover, in case of <i>UCP3</i> g.10266 G > C, the average body weight and chest and cannon circumference of sheep with the GG genotype were significantly higher than those of sheep with the GC and CC genotypes (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Moreover, the average body weight of sheep with the CC/GG genotype was higher compared with those of other genotype combinations. We also assessed <i>MEF2B</i> and <i>UCP3</i> expression in different sheep tissues, confirming their expression in all examined tissues. To summarize, we believe that the polymorphisms identified in <i>MEF2B</i> and <i>UCP3</i> can serve as molecular markers for sheep growth traits.