Detection and functional evaluation of novel MYF5 and MYF6 polymorphisms in relation to growth-related traits in Awassi and Awassi-Sakiz crossbred sheep
Mammalian Genome, cilt.37, sa.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 37 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s00335-026-10291-8
- Dergi Adı: Mammalian Genome
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biological Science Database (ProQuest), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Pharma Collection (ProQuest)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Awassi, Awassi-Sakiz, Growth traits, MYF5, MYF6, Sheep, SNP
- Çukurova Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Growth-related traits in sheep are economically important for meat production and breeding efficiency. Candidate genes involved in skeletal muscle development, such as MYF5 and MYF6, may contribute to phenotypic variation in growth performance; however, their polymorphisms remain insufficiently characterized in Awassi and Awassi-Sakiz crossbred sheep. This study aimed to identify novel polymorphisms in the MYF5 and MYF6 genes and evaluate their associations with growth-related traits in Awassi and Awassi-Sakiz crossbred sheep using genetic and in silico approaches. A total of 400 animals were included, consisting of 200 Awassi sheep and 200 Awassi-Sakiz crossbreds. Growth and morphometric traits were recorded, and polymorphisms in MYF5 and MYF6 were identified using PCR and Sanger sequencing. Genotype and allele frequencies were calculated, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was tested, and associations between genotypes and growth traits were evaluated. In silico analyses were performed to assess the potential functional effects of the detected variants. Based on Ensembl genome browser database, two novel variants were identified: an intronic MYF5 NC_056056.1:g.116775493G > A polymorphism and a missense MYF6 NC_056056.1:g.116765792G > C polymorphism resulting in an R310T amino acid substitution. Both loci conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in both populations. In Awassi sheep, MYF5 NC_056056.1:g.116775493G > A was significantly associated with live weight (p = 0.038) and chest circumference (p = 0.018), while MYF6 NC_056056.1:g.116765792G > C was significantly associated with live weight (p = 0.034) and chest circumference (p = 0.006). In Awassi-Sakiz crossbred sheep, MYF5 NC_056056.1:g.116775493G > A was significantly associated with live weight (p = 0.031), whereas MYF6 NC_056056.1:g.116765792G > C was significantly associated with body length (p = 0.026). In silico analyses suggested that MYF5 NC_056056.1:g.116775493G > A may affect splicing-related motifs, while the MYF6 R310T substitution may influence protein stability and DNA-binding interactions. The findings suggest that MYF5 and MYF6 are promising candidate loci for selected growth traits in Awassi and Awassi-Sakiz sheep. However, validation in larger independent populations is required before these variants can be recommended for marker-assisted selection.