Genome-wide search for associations method for identification of molecular markers and candidate genes of breed affiliation of sheep of the North Caucasian meat and wool breed

To determine the loci associated with pedigree traits, a genome-wide search was conducted for associations of 275 heads of Russian sheep breeds genotyped using 600 thousand single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The studies were conducted according to the “case-control” type, where the “case” group is represented by animals of the North Caucasian meat and wool breed, the “control” included animals of other breeds (Karachay, Romanovskaya, Dzhalginsky merino and Russian meat merino). In this study, over 100 SNPs were identified with highly reliable differences in the frequency of occurrence in sheep of the North Caucasian meat and wool breed. For the subsequent analysis, 18 single nucleotides with the highest confidence indices localized on chromosomes were selected 1, 10, 11, 15, 17. As a result of a genome-wide study, significant SNP markers characteristic of the sheep breed under study, located directly in the genes or close to them, were determined. The conducted studies provide a set of new SNP markers and candidate genes associated with the breed characteristics of North Caucasian meat-wool sheep.