Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate the possibility to use polymorphic variants of transferrin (Tf) as genetic markers of prolificacy in ewes in the first six breeding seasons. The
experimental material consisted of 89 ewes of prolific sheep 09 (44% Polish Merino, 31% East-Friesian milk sheep, 25% Finnish sheep). The mean size of the litter from ewes having different transferrin genotypes in individual periods within the 6-year-long reproduction utilization exhibited considerable variability. In the whole investigated period, covering six breeding seasons, the most prolific ewes were those with transferrin genotypes BB and DP, with the mean litter size of 1.70. In all the five analyzed periods there is a clear trend for ewes with transferrin genotype MM to have the lowest index values. When selecting the flock of prolific sheep line 09 for increased prolificacy the transferrin genotype may be applied as an additional selection criterion and it would be advisable to keep for the purpose of flock replacement ewes with genotypes Tf BB or Tf DP, while ewes with genotype Tf MM, as the least prolific, should be culled.
References
Bojczuk H., Michałowska B., Żurkowski M. 1980. Genetic differentiation in long-wooled, Merino and Wrzosówka sheep. Genet. Pol. 21, 3, 325–331.
Bojczuk H., Bojczuk B. 1988. Polimorfizm transferyny i hemoglobiny a plenność u owiec. Zesz. Probl. Post. Nauk Roln. 352, 27–31.
Darcan N., Gűney O. 2001. Effects of haemoglobin and transferrin polymorphisms on the performance of awassi and crossbred ewes under subtropic environment. J. Appl. Anim. Res. 19 (2), 187–192.
Gahne B., Juneja R.K., Grolmus J. 1977. Horizontal polyakrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis fpr the simultaneous phenotyping of transferrin, post-transferrin, albumin, post-albumin in the blood plasma of cattle. Anim. Blood Grps Bioch. Genet. 8, 127–137.
Kmieć M. 1991. Badania zależności między polimorfizmem hemoglobiny i transferyny a niektórymi cechami użytkowymi polskiej owcy długowełnistej. Zesz. Nauk. Przegl. Hod. 4, 16–23.
Kmieć M. 1997. Polimorfizm transferyny w stadzie owiec rasy polska owca długowełnista, selekcjonowanym w kierunku wełnisto-plennym. Rozpr. AR Szczecin, 180.
Kmieć M. 1998. Transferyna – białko pełniące wiele funkcji i ról w organizmie. Przegl. Hod. 1, 8–9.
Kurył J. 1992. Markery genetyczne. Zesz. Nauk. Przegl. Hod. 6, 48–76.
SAS user's guide. Version 6. 1989. SAS Institute, Cary, NC.
Smithies O. 1955. Zone electrophoresis in starch gels. Group variations in the serum proteins of normal human adults. Biochem. J. 61, 629–641.
Steppa R., Ślósarz P. 1999. A note on the relationship between the polymorphic forms of transferrin and haemoglobin andchosen reproduction traits in sheep of Polish synthetic highprolificacy line 09. Anim. Sci. Pap. Rep. 17, 3, 137–143.
Steppa R. 2005. Polimorficzne warianty transferyny i hemoglobiny jako genetyczne markery plenności w stadach owiec różnych typów użytkowych. Rocz. AR Poznań, 363.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
