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.

1. Kostusiak P., Slósarz J., Gołębiewski M. et al., Polymorphism of Genes and Their Impact on Beef Quality, Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 2023, Vol. 45, pp. 4749–4762, DOI: 10.3390/cimb45060302.

2. Prihandini P.W., Hariyono D.N., Tribudi Y.A., Association between GH, PRL, LEP, and PIT-1 gene polymorphisms and growth traits in Indonesian Rambon indigenous cattle, Indonesian Bulletin of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 2021, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 37–42, DOI: 10.1007/s11250-025-04304-y.

3. Abdelmoneim T.S., Brooks P.H., Afifi M., Swelum A.A.A., Sequencing of growth hormone gene for detection of polymorphisms and their relationship with body weight in Harri sheep, Indian Journal of Animal Research, 2017, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 205–211, DOI: 10.18805/ijar.11457.

4. Sousa-Junior L.P.B., Meira A.N., Azevedo H.C., Muniz E.N., Coutinho L.L., Mourão G.B. et al., Variants in myostatin and MyoD family genes are associated with meat quality traits in Santa Inês sheep, Animal Biotechnology, 2020, pp. 1–13, DOI: 10.1080/10495398.2020.1781651.

5. Zhao K., Li X., Liu D., Wang L., Pei Q., Han B. et al., Genetic Variations of MSTN and Callipyge in Tibetan Sheep: Implications for Early Growth Traits, Genes, 2024, Vol. 15, No. 7, pp. 921. DOI: 10.3390/genes15070921.

6. Grochowska E., Borys B., Mroczkowski S., Effects of Intronic SNPs in the Myostatin Gene on Growth and Carcass Traits in Colored Polish Merino Sheep. Genes, 2019, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 20–38, DOI: 10.3390/genes11010002.

7. Krivoruchko A.Y., Yatsyk O.A., Safaryan E.Y., Candidate genes for productivity identified by genome-wide association study with indicators of class in the Russian meat merino sheep breed, Vavilov Journal of Genetics and Breeding, 2020, Vol. 24, No. 8, pp. 836–843, DOI: 10.18699/VJ20.681.

8. Nagai T., Mizuno K., Multifaceted roles of Furry proteins in invertebrates and vertebrates, The Journal of Biochemistry, 2014, Vol. 155, No. 3, pp. 137–146, DOI: 10.1093/jb/mvu001.

9. Ahbara A., Bahbahani H., Almathen F., Al Abri M., Agoub M.O., Abeba A. et al., Frontiers in Genetics, 2019, Vol. 9, p. 699, DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00699.

10. Zhang L., Mousel M.R., Wu X., Michal J.J., Zhou X., Ding B. et al., Genome-Wide Variation, Candidate Regions and Genes Associated With Fat Deposition and Tail Morphology in Ethiopian Indigenous Sheep, PLOS ONE, 2013, Vol. 8, No. 6, p. e65942, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065942.

11. Romaniuk E., Vera B., Peraza P., Ciappesoni G., Damián J.P., Van Lier E., Identification of Candidate Genes and Pathways Linked to the Temperament Trait in Sheep, Genes, 2024, Vol. 15, No. 2, p. 229, DOI: 10.3390/genes15020229.

12. Patiabadi Z., Razmkabir M., Esmailizadeh Koshkoiyeh A., Moradi M., Rashidi A., Mahmoudi P., Whole-genome scan for selection signature associated with temperature adaptation in Iranian sheep breeds, PLOS ONE, 2024, Vol. 19, No. 8, p. e0309023, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309023.

13. Becker G.M., Thorne J.W., Burke J.M. et al., Genetic diversity of United States Rambouillet, Katahdin and Dorper sheep, Genetics Selection Evolution, 2024, Vol. 56, No. 56, DOI: 10.1186/s12711-024-00905-7.

14. Adeniyi O.O., Lenstra J.A., Mastrangelo S., Lühken G., Genome-wide comparative analyses for selection signatures indicate candidate genes for between-breed variability in copper accretion in sheep, Animal, 2024, Vol. 18, No. 10, p. 101329, DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2024.101329.

15. Liu Y., Chen X., Gong Z., Zhang H., Fei F., Tang X. et al., Fry Is Required for Mammary Gland Development During Pregnant Periods and Affects the Morphology and Growth of Breast Cancer Cells, Frontiers in Oncology, 2019, Vol. 9, p. 1279, DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.01279.

16. Osman N.M., Shafey H.I., Abdelhafez M.A., Sallam A.M., Mahrous K.F., Genetic variations in the Myostatin gene affecting growth traits in sheep, Veterinary World, 2021, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 475–482, DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2021.475-482.