Abstract:
Objective The interleukin 15 receptor subunit α gene (IL15RA) in goats was studied to identify the mutation site that differentiates the growth of Fuqing and Nubian goats.
Methods Three 12-month-old Fuqing and Nubian goats each were randomly selected to collect tissue samples of the heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney as well as the head and neck semispinalis muscles, longest back muscle, thigh muscle, and biceps brachii muscle for qRT-PCR to construct a spectrum of expression variations between the two goat species. The SNP of IL15RAs extracted from the Fuqing goats (n=108) and the Nubian goats (n=286) were subjected to a PCR hybridization Sanger sequencing for genotype classification using PCR-RFLP and correlation with goat growth.
Results (1) The IL15RA expressions in the muscles were significantly lower than those in the viscera (P<0.05); the expression in the longest back muscle of the Fuqing goats significantly lower than that of the Nubian goats (P<0.05); and the expression in the lung of the Fuqing goats significantly higher than that of the Nubian goats (P<0.05). (2) One InDel site, g.22224_222225 Del A, Del22224, was found in the intron 3 of IL15RAs of Fuqing and Nubian goats, and one SNP site, g.33428A>G, in the intron 6. (3) SNP-g.33428 significantly affected the body weight, chest circumference, chest width, and hucklebone width of Fuqing goats (P<0.05). (4) DD/AA and ID/GG were the dominant haplotype combinations in the Fuqing goats. It was ID/AA and II/GG in the Nubian goats.
Conclusion The polymorphisms of IL15RAs significantly related to the differentiate growth traits of Fuqing and Nubian goats. The gene could conceivably become the target for improving the currently practiced molecular markers-assisted breeding programs.