Distribution of the frequency of occurrence of alleles by the calpastatin gene in sheep of different breeds (review)

The genetic diversity of modern populations of domestic animals is very important for improving breeds, for their adaptation to various environmental conditions, as well as for obtaining high-quality livestock products, in particular meat. The calpastatin gene (CAST) is considered as one of the promising markers of growth intensity and meat quality. The article presents an analysis of the literature review on the CAST gene in sheep from the following countries: Asia, New Zealand, Iran, England, France, Poland, Russia. The results of scientific studies aimed at studying the frequency of occurrence of CASTM and CASTN alleles, as well as CASTMM, CASTMN, CASTNN genotypes in the calpastatin gene in different breeds of sheep are summarized. On the territory of the Russian Federation, the number of sheep bred in the North Caucasus, Southern, Volga, Siberian Federal Districts has been studied. In all the studied breeds, the frequency of the M allele significantly exceeded the frequency of the N allele and was in the range of 0,33–0,99, therefore, the frequency of the N allele was in the range from 0,01 to 0,67.