Indian Journal of Animal Research

  • Chief EditorK.M.L. Pathak

  • Print ISSN 0367-6722

  • Online ISSN 0976-0555

  • NAAS Rating 6.50

  • SJR 0.263

  • Impact Factor 0.4 (2024)

Frequency :
Monthly (January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December)
Indexing Services :
Science Citation Index Expanded, BIOSIS Preview, ISI Citation Index, Biological Abstracts, Scopus, AGRICOLA, Google Scholar, CrossRef, CAB Abstracting Journals, Chemical Abstracts, Indian Science Abstracts, EBSCO Indexing Services, Index Copernicus
Indian Journal of Animal Research, volume 48 issue 4 (august 2014) : 307-314

GENETIC POLYMORPHISM OF BOOROLA FecB GENE AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH LITTER SIZE IN BALANGIR, SHAHABADI AND BONPALA SHEEP BREEDS

Jowel Debnath*, Ran Vir Singh
1Division of Animal Genetics and Breeding Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243 122, India
Cite article:- Debnath* Jowel, Singh Vir Ran (2024). GENETIC POLYMORPHISM OF BOOROLA FecB GENE AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH LITTER SIZE IN BALANGIR, SHAHABADI AND BONPALA SHEEP BREEDS. Indian Journal of Animal Research. 48(4): 307-314. doi: 10.5958/0976–0555.2014.00448.8.
The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Boorola FecB mutation gene in 250 selected ewes from different sheep flocks representing Balangir(100), Shahabadi(100) and Bonpala (50) by forced PCR-RFLP method. Genomic DNA was extracted from the blood of Balangir, Shahabadi and Bonpala matured ewes with average litter size varying from 1.00±0.00 to 1.183±0.04 at different parities . Digestion of  FecB gene  with AvaII restriction enzyme resulted FecB++ in all samples of Balangir  and Bonpala but in Shahabadi 76(76%) were FecBB+ and 24(24%) were FecB++. Sequencing of representative samples of  FecB  gene from each breed showed absence of point mutation i.e., A to G at 110th  position.  The overall average of litter size in Balangir, Shahabadi and Bonpala was 1.00±0.00, 1.41±0.02 and 1.00±0.00, respectively. Thus, the association between litter size and FecB++ genotype among Balangir and Bonpala sheep breeds were in unity. Analysis of variance indicated that the effect of genotype on litter size was highly significant.  FecB gene might have introgressed in Shahabadi sheep breed from Garole but the FecB gene has not been fixed in this breed. It needs further introgression of FecB gene through marker assisted introgression , so that each individual animal will lamb twins in future.
  1. Bodin, L., Cornu, C., Elsen, J.M., Molenat, G. and Thimonier, J. (1991). The effects of Booroola genotype on some traits in a Merino d’Arles flock. Major genes for reproduction in sheep. (Ed. by J.M.Elsen, L.Bodin and J. Thimonier.) Institute Scientifique de Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Paris, pp. 371-379.
  2. DAHD (2007).18th Livestock Census.,(Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries,GOI, Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi)
  3. Davis, G.H. and Hinch, G.N. (1985). Introduction of management of the Booroola sheep flocks in New Zealand. Genetics of Reproduction in Sheep, pp. 139-148.
  4. Davis, G.H., Dodds, K.G. and Bruce, G.P. (1999). Combined effect of the Inverdale and Booroola prolificacy genes on ovulation rate in sheep. Proceedings of the Thirteenth Conference Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics, pp. 74-77.
  5. Davis, G.H., Galloway, S.M., Ross, I.K., Gregan, S.M., Ward, I., Nimbkar, B.Y., Ghalsasi,P.M., Nimbkar, C., Gray, G.D., Subandriyo, Inounu 1., Tiesnamurti, B., Martyniuk,E., Eythorsdottir, E., Mulsant, P., Lecerf, E., Hanrahan, I.P., Bradford, G.E. and Wilson, T. (2002). DNA tests in prolific sheep from eight countries provide new evidence on origin of the Booroola (FecB) mutation. Biol. Reprod. 66: 1869-1874.
  6. Falconer, D. S. and Mackey, T. F. C. (1996). Introduction to Quantitative Genetics, 4th Ed. Longman group Ltd. Essex, England.
  7. Gootwine, E., (2005). Variability in the rate of decline in birth weight as litter size increases in sheep. Anim. Sci. 81: 393-398.
  8. Gootwine, E., Reicher, S. and Rozov, A. (2008). Prolificacy and lamb survival at birth in Awassi and Assaf sheep carrying the FecB (Booroola) mutation. Anim. Reprod. Sci. 108:402-411.
  9. Mulsant P., Lecerf, E., Fabre S., Schibler, L., Monget, P., Lanneluc, I., Pisselet, C., Riquet, J., Monniaux, D., Callebaut, I., Cribiu, E., Thimonier, J., Teyssier, J., Bodin, L., Cognie, Y., Chitour, N. and Elsen, J.M. (2001). Mutation in bone morphogenetic protein receptor-IE is associated with increased ovulation rate in Booroola Merino ewes. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 98:5104-5109.
  10. Pardeshi, V.C., Sainani, M.N., Maddox,J.F., Ghalsasi,P.M., Nimbkar,C. and Gupta,V.S. (2005). Assessing the role of FecB mutation in productivity of Indian sheep. Curr. Sci. 89:.5.
  11. Sambrook, J., Fritsch, E.F. and Maniatis, T. (2001). Molecular Cloning: A laboratory Manual. 2nd Ed. Vol. 2. Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory. Press, pp. 63-64.
  12. Schulze, K.S., Waldron, D.F., Willinggham T.D., Shellby, D.R., Engdahl, G. R., Gootwine, E., Yoshefi, S., Montgomery, G.W., Tate, M.L. and Lord, E.A. (2003). Effect of the FecB gene in half-sib families of Rambouillet- cross ewes. Sheep and Goat Res. J. 18: 83-88.
  13. Sivashankar, S.(2009). Evaluation of fecundity gene(FecB) and its association with litter size in Indian sheep. M.V.Sc., Thesis submitted to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar,Bareilly,U.P.
  14. Snedecor, G.W. and Conchran, W.G.(1994). Statistical Methods. 8th Ed. Affiliated East- West Press, New Delhi,India.
  15. Southey, B.R, Thomas, D.L., Gottfredson, R.G. and Zelinksy, R.D. (2002). Ewe productivity of Booroola Merino- Rambouillet crossbred sheep during early stages of the introgression of the FecB allele into a Rambouillet population. Lives. Prod. Sci. 75: 33-44.
  16. Souza, C.J.H., MacDougall, C., Campbell, B.K., McNeilly, A.S. and Baird, D.T. (2001). The Booroola (FecB) phenotype is associated with a mutation in the bone morphogenetic receptor type-IB (BMPR-1B) gene. J. Endocrinol., 169: R1-6.
  17. Teyssier, J., Elsen, J. M., Bodin, L., Bosc, P., Lefevre, C. and Thimonier, J. (1998). Three-year comparison of productivity of Booroola carrier and non carrier Mérinos d’Arles ewes. 6th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, Armidale, Australia.
  18. Wilson, T., Wu, X-Y., Juengel, J .L., Ross, I.K., Lumsden, J.M., Lord, E.A., Dodds, K.G., Walling, G.A., McEwan, J.C., O’Connell, A.R., McNatty, K.P. and Montgomery, G.W. ( 2001). Highly prolific Booroola sheep have a mutation in the intracellular kinase domain of bone morphogenetic protein IB receptor (ALK-6) that is expressed in both oocytes and granulosa cells. Biol. Reprod.64:1225–1235

Editorial Board

View all (0)