Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the FRY gene associated with meat productivity in manych merino sheep breed

The use of marker-associated selection methods in sheep allows to increase meat productivity indices in a short period of time. This requires genotyping for polymorphisms in various genes associated with growth and development of muscle tissue. Whole-genome association searches in sheep have identified a number of new candidate genes, one of which is FRY, which encodes a microtubule-associated protein. The study of the FRY gene structure based on the results of full genomic sequencing in Manych Merino sheep revealed more than 4800 polymorphisms of different types, most of which are represented by single nucleotide substitutions and are included in international databases. A significant association was found between complex genotype by polymorphisms of the FRY gene and most of the estimated lifetime parameters of meat productivity, such as live weight and body measurements. Analysis of the distribution of polymorphisms between the groups of studied animals allowed us to identify 21 single nucleotide substitutions, genotypes for which significantly differed in animals with high and low meat productivity. Most of these substitutions (19 SNPs) were located in introns of the gene, two polymorphisms were detected in exons. Animals with higher scores had homozygous genotypes for the common allele of the identified substitutions. Low performing individuals carried heterozygous and mutant homozygous genotypes. The identified single nucleotide polymorphisms can be used as molecular genetic markers in genotyping to predict meat productivity and in breeding work with merino sheep breeds.