Detection of Booroola Polymorphism of Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptor 1b and Embrapa Polymorphism of Growth Differentiation Factor 9 in Sheep in Thailand.

This study aimed to investigate the appearance and frequencies of the Booroola polymorphism of the bone morphogenetic protein receptor 1b ( BMPR1B ) gene ( FecB ) and the Embrapa polymorphism of the growth differentiation factor 9 ( GDF9 ) gene ( FecG E ) in sheep in Thailand. A total of 454 crossbred sheep blood samples were collected from four provinces in Thailand during August 2022 to July 2023. The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method was used to identify the FecB and FecG E genotypes. The history of ewe birth types was collected from the owners to analyze the association between fecundity ( Fec ) genotypes and the history of birth types. The genotypic frequencies of FecB for homozygous genotype ( B / B ), heterozygous genotype (+/ B ), and wildtype (+/+) were 0.22%, 1.54%, and 98.24%, respectively. Meanwhile, the genotypic frequencies of FecG E for homozygous genotype ( E / E ), heterozygous genotype (+/ E ), and wildtype (+/+) were 0.00%, 2.42%, and 97.58%, respectively. Furthermore, three ewes exhibited both FecB and FecG E genotypes. Fisher's exact test revealed that possession of the FecB genotype was associated with multiple births ( p < 0.01). Both FecB and FecG E mutations were identified in crossbred sheep in Thailand. Sheep containing FecB allele could be alternative candidates to be selected to improve the prolificacy of crossbred sheep in Thailand.