Definition of local Honamlı and Hair goats in Türkiye in terms of meat production on the molecular level

Due to the increasing world population, the livestock sector has significant potential today; however, production levels are still not at the desired level. Researchers have been studied on the genes that affect growth characteristics to make goat meat consumption more efficient in the food chain. IGF-I, GH1, POU1F1, LEP, and MSTN genes are some of the candidate genes that are highly focused on in terms of growth characteristics. In this study, a total of 200 goats from Honamlı and Kıl populations reared in Korkuteli and Elmalı region of Antalya were sampled. Measurements of chest circumference, withers height, live weight, body length, and withers height were taken from these goats. DNA isolation was carried out by salting out method from blood samples collected from the goats, and GH1, IGF-I, POU1F1, LEP, and MSTN gene regions were amplified by PCR. DNA sequence analysis were conducted to identify SNPs in these gene regions. Haplotypes, genetic diversity parameters, and the genetic differences/relationships between these two populations were determined based on the obtained DNA sequences of the genes. The association between the identified SNPs and the phenotypic traits of interest was determined by using General Linear Models. As a result of the analyses, when Honamlı and Kıl goats were considered together, 23, 6, 14, 11, and 8 haplotypes were detected for GH1, IGF-I, LEP, POU1F1, and MSTN genes, respectively. The highest haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity values were calculated as 0.986±0.011 and 0.012±0.001, respectively. The genetic distance and genetic differentiation coefficient between Honamlı and Kıl goat populations were calculated as 0.0072-0.0207 and 0.0008-0.0658, respectively. According to AMOVA analyses conducted for each gene region, it was observed that 93.33-100% of the genetic differences observed in Honamlı and Kıl goats were due to genetic differences among individuals within populations. While some SNPs in GH1, IGF-I, LEP, and POU1F1 genes were found to be associated with growth traits, no association was detected in the MSTN gene. Specifically, the 1084G>A SNP in the LEP was found to be associated with daily body weight gain in both Honamlı and Kıl goats. These genes that are related to growth traits can be used in breeding and selection programmes aimed at body weight and meat yield in goats.