Association of the DGAT1 gene polymorphism with fat-tail weight and backfat thickness in Lori-Bakhtiari sheep

Marker assisted selection is one of the common methods which can improve the accuracy and response to selection. Diacylglycerol acyltransferase1 enzyme (DGAT1) is a Microsomal enzyme that plays an important role in lipid metabolism. DGTA1 encodes the catalyst enzyme of the reaction between diacylglycerol and acyl-CoA. This reaction is a final step in the synthesis of triglyceride¬. Lori-Bakhtiari sheep is an important breed for meat production but it has the highest fat-tail weight than other breeds. The aim of this research was to determine the genetic diversity of DGAT1 gene and its effect on carcass quality in this breed. In this study, the records on 152 Lori-Bakhtiari sheep which slaughtered in the abattoir industry in Qom province in 2009 were used. DNA was extracted using salting-out method, and 309 bp fragment of exon 17 was amplified with polymerase chain reaction then restricted using AluI. The results revealed three genotypes TT, TC and CC, with frequencies of respectively 0.558, 0.378 and 0.064. The results of this experiment showed that there is a significant correlation between some of genotypes with fat-tail weight and backfat thickness, so that the CC genotype significantly (P<0.05) heavier fat-tail and higher backfat thickness than TT genotypes. Thus some polymorphisms at this gene forms may be a useful tool in marker assisted selection programs.