<p>In recent years, the world demand for a low fat and high protein content lean meat had increased to meet the needs of the organism in proteins. This article presents the results of an expedient scientific-research analysis on establishing the influence of Poll Dorset and Texel breed on the particular growth variability, development of both meat and wool productivity of Kazakh mutton-semifine-wool breed of sheep. Results of the study were obtained under the same grazing conditions of 110 head of purebred and 110 crossbreed Texel and Poll-Dorset sheep of second generation. It was found that peers of the experimental group exceeded their peers in the control group on the dynamics of growth in body weight (P&pound;0.05), i.e. crossing helped to improve the performance of daily gain (P&pound;0.05). In terms of slaughter indicators, such as the slaughter and carcass weight, crossbreed male lambs also surpassed purebred male lambs (P&pound;0.05). Herein, it was found that crossbreed lambs of Texel breed observe the superiority in terms of meat output (fat free) in relation to purebred male lambs (P&pound;0.01). The study of longissimus muscle chemical composition showed that crossbreed male lambs of Texel breed in protein content in this very muscle are superior to purebred peers (P&pound;0.05). A study of wool characteristics of experimental sheep showed that at the age of 12 months the high wool clip was observed in male lambs of Texel second generation (P&pound;0.05). The high yield of washed wool was also observed in Texel male lambs (P&pound;0.05) as compared to purebred peers.</p>


<p>Effect of sire breed on the productivity of Kazakh mutton-semifine-wool sheep</p>


<div style="text-align: justify;">Polymorphic variants of keratin-associated protein (KAP) 6.1 gene with wool traits of Sandyno and Nilagiri breeds of sheep were investigated in this study. Genomic DNA was isolated from blood samples of 125 Sandyno, Nilagiri and Dorset x Nilagiri breeds of sheep along with 76 numbers of wool samples. A 528 bp segment was amplified by PCR using ovine specific primers for KAP 6.1 gene. SSCP analysis of KAP 6.1 gene in Dorset x Nilagiri crossbred sheep resulted in two genotypes for the A/B with no polymorphism. KAP 6.1 gene locus revealed allele frequencies of &nbsp;A, B, C, D and E in Sandyno sheep were 0.67, 0.23, 0.04, 0.01 and 0.04 and in Nilagiri were 0.75, 0.06, 0.11, 0.04 and 0.04 respectively. KAP 6.1 gene revealed departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. KAP 6.1 genes were found to have high degree of homozygosity (0.6667) in Nilagiri sheep. The effective number of alleles (Ne) for KAP 6.1 gene was 1.1690 and 1.7006 respectively in Sandyno and Nilagiri breeds of sheep. The PIC values for KAP 6.1 gene was 0.1341 and 0.3909 in Sandyno and Nilagiri breeds of sheep respectively. FIS values for KAP 6.1 gene was positive (0.1909) in Nilagiri breed and it was negative (&ndash; 0.0110) in Sandyno breed. Least squares analysis of variance showed significant (P&lt;0.05) effect between genotypes and between sexes for wool traits like GFW (kg), CWY (%) and FD (&micro;). Significant (P&lt;0.05) effect of breed (Sandyno and Nilagiri) was observed for all the wool traits (GFW, CWY, FD, SL and Medullation %). Significant (p&lt;0.05) higher CWY production was recorded for AC genotype (62.00 &plusmn; 1.73 %) while low value was recorded for BB genotype (56.25 &plusmn; 1.74 %). FD was found to be high in genotype AC (24.29 &plusmn; 1.17 &micro;) than in AA genotype (23.24 &plusmn; 0.49 &micro;). The homozygote AA was found to have more Medullation (%) and SL. Genotypes BB had higher GFW and lower CWY. The heterozygous genotype AC yielded more FD and CWY with lower most Medullation (%) and SL values. From the study, it may be concluded that KAP 6.1 gene might be a potential molecular marker for genetic selection of wool traits in Sandyno and Nilagiri breeds of sheep .</div>

<div style="text-align: justify;">Polymorphism of Keratin - Associated Protein (<em>KAP</em>) 6.1 gene and its association with wool traits of Sandyno and Nilagiri breeds of sheep</div>

<div><strong>Background:</strong> The principal component analysis is applied to identify minimum number of combined variables that account for maximum portion of the variance existing in all variables studied. Chitarangi is a lesser known carpet type wool sheep distributed in Fazilka and Muktsar districts of Punjab, Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan and the adjoining areas. The information on body biometry is a prerequisite to characterize the lesser known sheep population available in the country. Hence, it is important to describe the body conformation by recording minimum number of biometric traits.<br />
<br />
<strong>Methods:</strong> Body biometry traits of Chitarangi sheep, a lesser known carpet quality wool producing sheep population were studied using Principal Component Analysis. The traits studied were body length (BL), height at wither (HW), chest girth (CG), paunch girth (PG), ear length (EL), face length (FL), face width (FW), tail length (TL) and adult body weight (BW). The data were collected on 297 ewes in the breeding tract of Chitarangi sheep. The descriptive statistics were determined for all the traits. The phenotypic correlations between different body biometric traits were estimated using partial correlations. Principal components were estimated using correlation matrix. Principal component analysis (PCA), a multivariate approach, is used when the recorded traits are highly correlated. Rotation of principal components was through the transformation of the components to approximate a simple structure. Factor analysis using oblique (promax) rotation was used. All the analysis was carried out using the SPSS statistical package.<br />
<br />
<strong>Result:</strong> The averages for body weight and biometry traits confirmed large size of Chitarangi animals. Most of the phenotypic correlations amongst the studied traits were positive and significant (p&lt;0.01). The three components extracted from nine principal components accounted for 69.06% of the total variance. The first component, which described body size of ewes, accounted for 43.68% of the total variation with high loading for BW, CG, PG, HW, BL and FL. The components two and three explained 13.54 and 11.83% of total variance, respectively. The communalities ranged from 0.490 (FL) to 0.888 (PG). The lower communalities for face length indicated lower contribution of the trait to explain the total variation than others. The study indicates that principal components provided a means of reduction in number of biometric traits to explain body confirmation of adult female Chitarangi sheep.</div>


<p>Study of Body Conformation of Carpet Wool Type Chitarangi Sheep of India using Principal Component Analysis</p>


<p style="text-align: justify;">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.</p>


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


<div><strong>Background:&nbsp;</strong>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.<br />
<br />
<strong>Methods:</strong> 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.<br />
<br />
<strong>Result:&nbsp;</strong>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>


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


<div><strong>Background:</strong> 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.<br />
<br />
<strong>Methods:</strong> 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.<br />
<br />
<strong>Result: </strong>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 (<em>Hu sheep</em>)</div>


<div><strong>Background:</strong> At present, our mutton production cannot keep up with the needs of consumers. This study aims to analyze the polymorphism of intron II in the MyoG gene of sheep and investigate its relationship with production traits. It hopes to provide some theoretical research on the supply of mutton in China to serve the production of mutton.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
<strong>Methods:</strong> Five breeds of sheep, including Small-tailed Han sheep, Large-tailed Han sheep, Yuxi fat-tailed sheep, Mongolian sheep and Lanzhou Large-tailed sheep, were selected as the subjects. The Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique was used to genotype the intron II of the MyoG gene. Meat samples were collected from the back of the sheep to determine drip loss, shear force, moisture content, cooking loss and colour. The genetic diversity of the MyoG intron II in the sheep population was calculated using Popgene software and the association between different genotypes and sheep growth traits was analyzed using SPSS 17.0 software.<br />
<br />
<strong>Result: </strong>The results showed that both Small-tailed Han sheep and Lanzhou Large-tailed sheep had three genotypes in the MyoG intron II: AA (368, 540 bp), AB (908, 368, 540 bp) and BB (908 bp). Large-tailed Han sheep, Yuxi fat-tailed sheep and Mongolian sheep had two genotypes in the MyoG intron II: AB (908, 368, 540 bp) and BB (908 bp). The association analysis showed that individuals with the AA and BB genotypes had significantly higher moisture content in their meat than individuals with the AB genotype (p&lt;0.05). The cooking loss in the meat of individuals with the AB and BB genotypes was significantly higher than that of individuals with the AA genotype (p&lt;0.05). The colour of the meat in individuals with the AA genotype and AB genotype was significantly higher than that in individuals with the BB genotype (p&lt;0.05). In conclusion, the polymorphism studied provides valuable information for improving the production performance of sheep.&nbsp;</div>


<p>Polymorphism of MyoG Gene in Sheep and Its Association with Meat Quality Traits</p>


<p style="text-align: justify;">The present study investigated the level of Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis) spores contamination in the soil, as well as in small ruminant&rsquo;s wool/hair in Tharparkar, Pakistan. A total of 160 samples, including soil (n= 80), sheep wool (n= 40) and goat hair (n= 40) were collected from different areas of Tharparkar. Results showed that almost 33.75% samples were found positive for B. anthracis spores from soil, wool and hair; among those 66.25% were from outbreak area, having significantly higher (P &lt; 0.001) incidence than normal areas. Moreover, the soil samples exhibited higher positive prevalence (P &lt; 0.001) than &nbsp;wool, which also had significantly higher (P &lt; 0.001) than hair samples. The samples taken from Mithi area exhibited higher (P&lt; 0.001) prevalence of B. anthracis, followed by Chachro, Diplo and Nangar Parkar (60.00, 30.00, 25.00 and 20.00%, respectively). The differences in area-wise prevalence were also significant ((P &lt; 0.05). The highest prevalence of B. anthracis spores was recorded in open area, followed by in earthen boundaries, and in confined houses (46.42, 30.76 and 23.00%, respectively). These results indicated that soil is a main source of B. anthracis spores, moreover, sheep wool harbor more spores than goat hair.&nbsp;</p>


<p>Prevalence of <em>Bacillus anthracis</em> spores in wool, hairs and habitat of small ruminants</p>


<p style="text-align: justify;">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.</p>


<p>Genetic analysis of performance traits in Harnali sheep</p>


<div style="text-align:justify"><strong>Background: </strong>A study was undertaken to estimate gestation length, birth weight, dam weight and greasy fleece yield in Kashmir Merino sheep and factors influencing these traits at Sheep Breeding Farm, Kralpathri in 2020-21.<br />
<strong>Methods:</strong> The traits considered in the study were overall all body weight of dams at tupping (DWT), average wool yield of dams (AWY), gestation period (GP) and birth weight (BW). The averages of 39.00&plusmn;0.27 (kg), 2.38&plusmn;0.02 (kg), 150.17&plusmn;0.17 (days) and 3.87&plusmn;0.04 (kg) for DWT, AWY, GP and BW with coefficient of variation 12.83%, 12.75,1.65 and 17.70, respectively were observed in the present study. The data was analyzed by Harvey, 1990.<br />
<strong>Result: </strong>Highest and lowest CV (%) was observed for BW and GP, respectively. Overall estimates of 37.43&plusmn;0.41 (kg) and 2.21&plusmn;0.02 (kg), 150.59&plusmn;0.56 and 2.84&plusmn;0.11 for DWT, AWY, GP and BW, respectively was observed in the present study. Effect of age of dam was significant (p&lt;0.05) on DWT and AWY whereas effect of lamb weight at birth was significant on GP. The effect of genetic group of sire, dam weight, parity of dam, body weight of dam at tupping, sex and birth type of lamb had significant (p&lt;0.05) effect on BW. Heaiver lambs were born to heavier dams. Therefore, increasing selection pressure at tupping for dam weight will result in improvement of birth weight and hence overall production performance of Kashmir Merino sheep.</div>


Effect of sire breed on the productivity of Kazakh mutton-semifine-wool sheep

Polymorphism of Keratin - Associated Protein (KAP) 6.1 gene and its association with wool traits of Sandyno and Nilagiri breeds of sheep

Study of Body Conformation of Carpet Wool Type Chitarangi Sheep of India using Principal Component Analysis

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)

Polymorphism of MyoG Gene in Sheep and Its Association with Meat Quality Traits

Prevalence of Bacillus anthracis spores in wool, hairs and habitat of small ruminants

Genetic analysis of performance traits in Harnali sheep

Effect of Non-genetic Factors on Reproductive Parameters and Greasy Fleece Yield in Kashmir Merino Sheep