Copy Number Variation of the <i>SOX6</i> Gene and Its Associations with Growth Traits in Ashidan Yak
2022
Xinyi Li | Chun Huang | Modian Liu | Rongfeng Dai | Xiaoyun Wu | Xiaoming Ma | Min Chu | Pengjia Bao | Jie Pei | Xian Guo | Ping Yan | Chunnian Liang
Copy number variation (CNV) is a fundamental type of structural variation of the genome affecting the economic traits of livestock. The <i>SOX6</i> gene (sex-determining region Y-box 6), as a transcription factor, has multiple functions with regard to sex determination, embryonic growth, the nervous system development, as well as bone, and various organ formation. This study employed quantitative real-time fluorescence quota PCR (qPCR) for detecting the <i>SOX6</i>-CNV of the 311 Ashidan yaks and analyzed the correlation of the <i>SOX6</i>-CNV with four phenotypes (including body weight, withers height, body length, and chest girth) of the yaks aged 6, 12, 18, and 30 months using ANOVA and multiple comparisons. Furthermore, the <i>SOX6</i> gene expression was identified in seven different tissues of the yaks. The experiment results demonstrated the expression of <i>SOX6</i> in each tissue, and the kidney and muscle tissue were found to have higher relative expression levels. Based on the processing by IBM SPSS software, <i>SOX6</i>-CNV was significantly correlated with the chest girth of the 6-months old yaks (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and 30-months yaks (<i>p</i> < 0.05), and withers height of 6 months yaks (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and 18-months yaks (<i>p</i> < 0.05), as well as the normal type of CNV, was chosen for yak breeding. In conclusion, <i>SOX6</i> might be prominently involved in promoting growth and development of yaks, suggesting that the <i>SOX6</i> gene can be used in breeding yaks by molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS). The study also offered some important insights into the references and clues for the genetic breeding of yaks.
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