Polymorphisms of LHβ and GnRHR genes and their association with the number of embryos recovered in goats

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to explore a predictor of superovulation response on the basis of associations between the number of embryos recovered and gene polymorphism. Variation in the goat LHβ and GnRHR genes was investigated using polymerase chain reaction–single-strand conformational polymorphism and DNA sequencing. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in the 5′-UTR of LHβ gene (A59C, P1 locus) and in the Exon 2 of GnRHR gene (T177A, P6 locus). At the P1 locus in both breeds, the frequencies of one allele were 0.46 and 0.51, respectively. At the P6 locus, the minor allele frequency was 0.23. Associations of both SNPs with the number of embryos recovered and the corpus luteum number were evaluated in Boer and Shaanbei goat breeds. Association analysis showed that both SNPs had significant (P < 0.05) effects on the number of embryos recovered and corpus luteum number. These results indicate that LHβ and GnRHR genes are potential markers for the number of embryos recovered.