Harnali sheep is a new synthetic strain developed for superior carpet wool, better growth and adaptability. The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the Harnali sheep for seven performance traits namely birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), six month body weight (SMW) , yearling body weight (YBW), adult body weight (ABW), age at first lambing (AFL) and grease fleece weight (GFW) with a mixed model &nbsp;methodology. The overall least squares means for BW, WW, SMW, YBW, ABW, GFW and AFL were estimated as 3.51&plusmn;0.58 kg, 13.61&plusmn;0.22 kg, 19.45&plusmn;0.24 kg, 27.26&plusmn;0.31 kg, 37.90&plusmn;0.34 kg, 1662.65&plusmn;35.46 gm and 789.98&plusmn;10.40 days, respectively. The period of birth had significant effect on all the performance traits except GFW. The effect of sex was found significant on all the performance traits. The male lambs were significantly heavier than females at all ages. The effect of dam&rsquo;s age at lambing was found non-significant on all the performance traits but dam&rsquo;s weight at lambing significantly influenced all the performance traits and indicated heavier lambs born from heavier ewes. Heritability estimates were high for BW, WW, SMW, YBW, ABW and GFW as 0.68&plusmn;0.19, 0.49&plusmn;0.17, &nbsp;0.65&plusmn;0.15, 0.44&plusmn;0.17, 0.42&plusmn;0.17 &nbsp;and &nbsp;0.54&plusmn;0.17, respectively while moderate estimates was obtained for AFL as 0.38&plusmn;0.16. &nbsp;The phenotypic correlations of WW and SMW were significant and positive with BW, YBW and ABW with moderate to high in magnitude ranging from 0.22&plusmn;0.04 to 0.71&plusmn;0.07. The phenotypic correlation between BW and SMW was high and positive (0.71&plusmn;0.07). The genetic correlations among performance traits were low to high ranging from -0.03&plusmn;0.04 to 0.61&plusmn;0.12. Keeping in view the heritability and genetic correlations among performance traits it is concluded that SMW can serve as a good selection criterion in sheep at early age as it has high heritability and positive and high correlations with body weights at later ages and favourable correlation with age at first lambing.

Genetic analysis of performance traits in Harnali sheep

Data on growth, reproduction and wool traits of 1603 Harnali sheep maintained at Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar over a period of 22 years (1992-2013) were utilized for genetic analysis. The overall least squares mean for birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), six month body weight (SMW), age at first lambing (AFL), weight at lambing (WL), average lambing interval (ALI), greasy fleece weight (GFW), staple length (SL) and Fibre diameter (FD) were estimated as 3.35&plusmn;0.02 kg, 12.41&plusmn;0.08 kg, 16.30&plusmn;0.12 kg, 707.05&plusmn;2.07 days, 26.91&plusmn;0.10 kg and 402.85&plusmn;2.40 days, 1.62&plusmn;0.02 kg, 5.65&plusmn;0.03 cm and 25.85&plusmn;0.07 &micro;, respectively. The effect of year of birth, sex of lamb and dam&rsquo;s weight at lambing were significant for all growth traits. The effect of year of birth and dam&rsquo;s weight at lambing were significant for all reproduction traits and GFW. No definite trend was observed over the years for body weights and reproductive traits. The effect of sex was significant for early growth traits. The heritability estimates were moderate for all the growth traits with high genetic correlations of BW and WW with SMW. Reproduction traits had lower estimates of heritability which indicated presence of lower additive genetic variance for these traits. Heritability estimates for studied wool traits were moderate to high. Positive genetic and phenotypic correlation of BW and WW with six month body weight and grease fleece weight indicated that selection for six month body weight would increase body weight and grease fleece weight.

Genetic studies on growth, reproduction and wool production&nbsp;traits in Harnali sheep

<div>Background:&nbsp;Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel class of endogenous non-coding RNAs with covalently closed loop structures, play important role in mammalian growth and development by regulating gene expression and participating in various biological processes. The aim of this study was to identify the expression profiles of circRNAs in the ovaries of Hu sheep and local Fat-tailed sheep during the luteal phase to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of circRNAs on reproduction and follicular development in sheep. 
 
Methods: To identify the differentially expressed circRNAs expressed in luteal phase conditions in Hu sheep and fat-tailed sheep, ovarian samples collected during the luteal phase were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing and subsequent transcriptomic approaches and bioinformatics analysis. 
 
Result:&nbsp;A total of 2,875 differentially expressed circRNAs were identified by high-through sequencing. Gene Ontology terminology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis showed that the host genes were mainly involved in the secretion and metabolism of the various pathway. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to validate the results of expression profiling. These results contributed to an improved understanding of circRNA and the biological mechanisms of ovarian reproduction in sheep.</div>

Identification of Circular RNAs in the Ovaries of Hu Sheep and Local Fat-tailed Sheep during the Luteal Phase

<div>Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are active regulators of numerous biological and physiological processes and play an important role in the regulation of animal ovaries and other reproductive related organs. To understand the molecular mechanisms of miR-10 family, we investigated the molecular characteristics and the relative expression of sheep miR-10a and miR-10b (miR-10a/b) and conducted bioinformatics analysis. 
 
Methods: During the period 2018-2019 total of 20 samples including blood and tissues such as hypothalamus, pituitary and ovary were collected from the Hu sheep raised in the National Meat Sheep Experimental Station of China (Luoyang City, Henan Province, China). Blood was collected from jugular vein by vacuum and anticoagulation blood collection tube and stored in refrigerator at -20&deg;C. The tissues were placed into the cryopreservation tube treated with Diethy pyrocarbonate (DEPC) water and stored in liquid nitrogen. All the samples were processed for isolation and confirmed with biochemical analysis and Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. 
 
Result: The target genes were predicted by three kinds of target gene predicting software. The function of target genes and their involved pathways were obtained by gene ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. The relative expression of miR-10a/b in sheep ovary was extremely significantly higher than that in hypothalamus and pituitary gland (P &lt; 0.01). The relative expression of miR-10b in ovary or pituitary was extremely significantly higher than that of miR-10a (P &lt; 0.01) and the relative expression of miR-10b in hypothalamus was significantly higher than that of miR-10a (P &lt; 0.05). These results serve as a foundation for further study on the Sheep miR-10 family.</div>

<div>Cloning, Characterization and Bioinformatics Analysis of the Sequences of miR-10a and miR-10b in Sheep (Hu sheep)</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Measurements of body conformation in sheep are of value in judging the quantitative characteristics of meat and also helpful in developing suitable selection criterion. Data &nbsp;on 349 Harnali sheep for body length (BL), body height (BH), heart girth (HG), paunch girth (PG), tail length (TL), head circumference (HC), ear length (EL), ear width (EW), face length (FL) and adult body weight (ABW) were analysed to study the relationship between linear body measurements and &nbsp;body weight. The mixed linear model with dam&rsquo;s weight at lambing as covariate was used to study the effect of non-genetic factors on body measurements and body weight. High estimates of heritability were obtained for BL, BH, HG, TL, HC, EL, EW, FL and ABW while moderate estimate was obtained for PG. The phenotypic correlations of BL, BH, HG, PG, HC and FL with ABW were positive and significant (0.32&plusmn;0.04 to 0.59&plusmn;0.08). The genetic correlations of HG, PG, HC and FL with ABW were 0.51&plusmn;0.13, 0.42&plusmn;0.19, 0.44&plusmn;0.13 and 0.43&plusmn;0.15, respectively. Various combinations of linear type traits to predict ABW were found to have coefficient of determination as high as 0.92. It is concluded that heart girth is the most important trait for estimation of live weight in sheep and the prediction equation is Body weight = -63.72 + 1.23 HG with R2 = 0.87.</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Prediction of body weight from linear body measurements in sheep</div>

<div>Background: The study of the homology of loci between different species has allowed the improvement of specific genetic knowledge and the development of several fundamental concepts. Thanks to this method, Wright discovered the correspondence between a gene and an enzyme (Wright, 1917). In ruminants, this correspondence between loci of different species has been demonstrated for a very long time (Lauvergne, 1979). In fact, the objective of this work was, initially, to use microsatellites recommended for sheep (FAO, 2011) for the amplification of bovine DNA to show that these loci are homologous and, then, to study the genetic diversity and population structure of three groups of each of the two species in Tunisia. 
 
Methods: In this study, we used three microsatellite markers (OarFCB304, OarFCB193 and MAF209) to verify whether they can be amplified in both sheep and cattle. For that, we considered 28 samples of sheep species from 3 different populations and 17 samples of cattle belonging to three breeds. The data obtained were also used to study their genetic diversity and population structure.&nbsp; 
 
Result: We have demonstrated the existence of microsatellite regions common to sheep and cattle. Regarding genetic diversity, we observed a heterozygous deficiency in all the studied breeds. Nei&rsquo;s genetic distances were greater between breeds of cattle than between breeds of sheep.</div>

Detection of Homologous Loci in Sheep and Cattle

<div>Background: Hassan sheep is the third most populous breed of the five registered sheep breeds from Karnataka with limited studies on its morphological and carcass characteristics. Hence, the study was undertaken to know the present status of morphological and carcass characteristics of this breed. 
 
Methods: A total of 34 randomly selected flocks were surveyed and the data on various parameters were collected. The morphometrical data was collected on 344 sheep belonging to eight flocks from the breeding tract. The carcass characteristics were documented by slaughtering six male lambs (between nine to twelve months of age). 
 
Result: These sheep had varied coat colours viz. complete white (23.3%), white with light brown patches (58.1%) and white with black patches (18.6%) on head and neck region. It was observed that 40.4 per cent of males and only 1.4 per cent of females were horned. Atrophied ears were noticed in 2.3 per cent of these sheep. The average adult body length (cm), height at wither (cm), chest girth (cm), paunch (cm), ear length (cm), tail length (cm) and average adult body weight (kg) were 66.4&plusmn;0.62, 65.03&plusmn;1.45, 75.2&plusmn;1.02, 76.5&plusmn;1.38, 15.2&plusmn;0.07, 11.5&plusmn;0.07 and 32.7&plusmn;2.03 in males and 63.8&plusmn;0.85, 61.7&plusmn;1.38, 71.8&plusmn;2.32, 74.5&plusmn;2.60, 15.0&plusmn;0.34, 11.3&plusmn;0.08 and 27.8&plusmn;1.21 in females, respectively. The difference in body weight between males and females increased significantly over the age. The pre-slaughter weight (PSW), hot carcass weight (HCW) and dressing percentage recorded were 20.3&plusmn;1.42 Kg, 9.5&plusmn;0.23 kg and 46.80 per cent, respectively.</div>

Phenotypic and Carcass Characterization of Hassan Sheep

<div style="text-align: justify;">This study has aimed to investigate the differences between the levels of trace elements in sheep with the diagnosis of ecthyma, and in healthy sheep. For this purpose, Be,Bi,Pb,Cd,Na,K,Ca,Mg,Fe,Cu,Zn,Se,Ni and Mn,Co,Cr,Li elements in the plasma of sheep with Contagious ecthyma detected with PCR and in sheep in the control group were analyzed with ICP-OES.In this study, the levels of Fe,Cu,Zn,Se and Pb trace elements were found to be statistically different between the sheep infected with parapoxvirus.The Na element of the macro elements was observed to be statistically different in sheep with ecthyma, to the control group(P&lt;0.05).When there are low levels of metal concentration in sheep with ecthyma, their immune system can be considered to be weakened.Further studies can be carried out on the increase in the risk of developing the disease as a result of, in particular, a decrease in the Fe,Cu,Zn and Se concentrations in sheep infected with the virus.</div>

The changes in the levels of elements in sheep with Contagious Ecthyma &nbsp;

<div>Background: The mutations in POU1F1 gene result in deficiency of GH, PRL and TSH-&acirc; expression and thus have an indirect effect on development and reproduction. The present study was conducted to determine and compare the polymorphism of POU1F1 gene in Mandya and NARI-Suwarna Sheep.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
Methods:&nbsp;Blood samples were collected from 50 each of Mandya and NARI-Suwarna sheep and genomic DNA was isolated following Miller&rsquo;s high salt method. PCR-RFLP analysis was performed for exon 3 and exon 4 regions of POU1F1 gene, whereas, PCR-SSCP analysis was performed for exon 6 region of POU1F1 gene.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The PCR products of sizes 365 bp, 508 bp and 501 bp for exon 3, exon 4 and exon 6 regions of POU1F1 gene, respectively were successfully amplified. PCR-RFLP analysis of exon 3 and exon 4 regions of POU1F1 gene with AluI and EcoRI restriction enzymes, respectively revealed monomorphism in both Mandya and NARI-Suwarna sheep. The PCR-SSCP analysis of exon 6 region of POU1F1 gene revealed two patterns, P1 and P2 with frequencies of 98 and 2 per cent, respectively in Mandya sheep and 90 and 10 per cent, respectively in NARI-Suwarna sheep. The alignment of P1 and P2 pattern sequences revealed two SNPs (109 G&gt;C and 112 T&gt;A) in Mandya sheep, whereas 3 SNPs (218 T&gt;G, 225 G&gt;A and 264 T&gt;A) were revealed in NARI-Suwarna sheep. Polymorphism was successfully established at exon 6 region of POU1F1 gene.&nbsp;</div>

Polymorphism Study of POU1F1 Gene in Mandya and NARI-Suwarna Sheep

<div>Background:&nbsp;Batur and Wonosobo sheep are two Indonesian indigenous sheep breeds from Central Java Province, Indonesia. This study aimed to describe and discriminate the morphostructure of Batur sheep and Wonosobo sheep with body measurements and body indices.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: Fourteen body measurements and nine body indices were measured from 37 Batur and 83 Wonosobo sheep. Two statistical methods of factor and discriminant analyses were computed with SPSS 25.0 program to describe the sheep&rsquo;s morphostructure and characterization.&nbsp; 
 
Result:&nbsp;The factor analysis in body measurements was obtained three principal components (PCs) that explain about 76.58% (Wonosobo sheep) and 73.51% (Batur sheep) of the total variance in animals&rsquo; morphostructure. Meanwhile, the factor analysis in body indices was obtained on three PCs that explain about 79.16% (Batur sheep) and 95.57% (Wonosobo sheep) of the total variance in animals&rsquo; morphostructure. About 95.2% of Wonosobo sheep and 92.7% of Batur sheep can be classified with body measurements (RW, SW, EL, EW, RH and TL). Meanwhile, about 75.7% of Batur sheep and 80.7% of Wonosobo sheep can be classified with body indices (TI and CI). In conclusion, Batur and Wonosobo sheep can be accurately characterized by their body measurements.</div>

Genetic analysis of performance traits in Harnali sheep

Genetic studies on growth, reproduction and wool production traits in Harnali sheep

Identification of Circular RNAs in the Ovaries of Hu Sheep and Local Fat-tailed Sheep during the Luteal Phase

Cloning, Characterization and Bioinformatics Analysis of the Sequences of miR-10a and miR-10b in Sheep (Hu sheep)

Prediction of body weight from linear body measurements in sheep

Detection of Homologous Loci in Sheep and Cattle

Phenotypic and Carcass Characterization of Hassan Sheep

The changes in the levels of elements in sheep with Contagious Ecthyma

Polymorphism Study of POU1F1 Gene in Mandya and NARI-Suwarna Sheep

Factor and Discriminant Analyses in the Morphostructure of Batur and Wonosobo Sheep Breeds