The effect of the LCORL gene on the body conformation of the Kazakh Mughaljar horse breed

Abstract

          Research Objective: This study aims to investigate the effect of genetic polymorphism of the LCORL gene on the growth and development of the Mugalzhar horse breed, and suggests that the LCORL gene can potentially be used as a molecular marker to further improve the breed’s genetic qualities.

          Materials and Methods: Based on the results of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) study, we observed an SNP C/T at position g.226. The genotypes formed by this SNP were CC, CT, and TT. Analysis of allele and genotype frequencies showed that the g.226 C/T SNP deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) (p < 0.05). The SNP restoration index indicated moderate polymorphism (0.25 < PIC < 0.50). The frequency of the CT genotype was higher than the CC and TT genotypes. The genotypes of the LCORL gene at g.226 C/T SNP showed a stronger association with body measurements in the Mughaljar horse breed. The CT genotype showed a higher correlation with body height, diagonal body length, chest girth, cannon bone girth, and body weight compared to the CC and TT genotypes. The TT genotype had a stronger association with body height, cannon bone girth, and body weight compared to the CC genotype.

The phylogenetic tree construction for the LCORL gene and the analysis of motif position conservation showed that there is no significant divergence in the phylogenetic relationships during the evolutionary development of different species, indicating a close relationship. Additionally, it was observed that motif positions in the LCORL protein sequences were highly conserved among six different animal species.

The analysis of expression levels of the LCORL gene in various tissues of the stallion using the Transcripts Per Million (TPM) method shows that the pre-mRNA expression of the LCORL gene varies across tissues. This indicates that the gene plays an important role in certain tissues in horses, such as in the function of the gonads, immune system organs, respiratory system, and adipose tissue.