Summary: | The objective of this work was the identification of chromosomal regions influencing udder
morphology traits in dairy sheep by using the genome scan approach. For this purpose, we have
analyzed a commercial population of Spanish Churra sheep organized according a daughter design,
which included 8 half-sib families. A total of 182 genetic markers, evenly distributed along the ovine
autosome, were genotyped in the studied population. As quantitative measurements for the analysis,
we used the yield deviations calculated for each of the udder traits considered in the breeding
program of Churra sheep: udder attachment, teat position and teat size, udder depth and udder
shape. A multimarker regression analysis was used to detect QTL. The whole genome analysis allowed
the identification of 11 chromosome-wide significant regions associated with the traits analyzed in
the following chromosomes: 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 14, 15, 20, 22, 23 y 26. Confirmation of the detected effects
is required before attempting future fine mapping studies on these regions. |