Gene of myostatin polymorphism in local sheep breeds

Sheep productivity is crucial in developing countries as sheep are an important source of meat and wool. It has been reported that myostatin (MSTN), also known as growth and differentiation factor 8 (GDF8), functions as a negative regulator of myogenesis during the growth of skeletal muscle. Different levels of muscle development in various sheep breeds have been linked to variations in the myostatin gene (MSTN). This study aims to investigate the relationship between the g+6723 variation in the MSTN gene and the association of variants with growth traits in local heep breeds collected for the thesis study number 556904, which was studied in Afyon Kocatepe University, Institute of Health Sciences, Medical Biology and Genetics laboratory. DNA isolation was made a blood samples taken from a total number of 111 animals from local sheep breeds, and the presence of g+6723 variation in MSTN was investigated by PCR-RFLP method using BseGI restriction enzyme. As a result of the studies, myostatin gene g+6723 polymorphism was not found in any of the local sheep breeds. MSTN locus in studied sheep breeds was not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and there was no significant effect of myostatin gene on yearling weights.