Analysis of FecG gene in lohi sheep breed using PCR-RFLP technique

The growth and follicles differentiation in ovary is controlled by the FecG gene of TGF-ß superfamily proteins. FecG (GDF9), FecB (BMPRIB) and FecX (BMP15) are three oocytederived genes of TGF- ß superfamily, which have essential role in ovulation and follicular growth. This study was intended to identify the FecG mutation in 30 ewes of Lohi sheep. A fragment length of 139 bp of FecG gene at exon 2 was amplified with a forced PCR-RFLP primer pairs and products were digested with Ddel enzyme. The results revealed that there is no mutation at this locus, because Ddel enzyme could not recognize restriction site. In this study, we found wild type (++) alleles. The polymorphism analysis of Lohi sheep indicates that the reported mutation for litter size is not present in this breed. Therefore, it is important to identify other SNPs for FecG gene in Lohi sheep.