Mapping quantitative trait loci for milk production and genetic polymorphisms of milk proteins in dairy sheep.

摘要

Recent advances in the molecular dissection of complex traits in dairy sheep are described and discussed with regard to their possible impact on breeding schemes; this includes a review of the literature data on genetic polymorphisms and the effects of sheep alphaS1-casein and beta-lactoglobulin loci. It is concluded that the results are rather inconsistent and cannot be used in dairy sheep selection. A strategy implemented in France, Italy and Spain, which takes advantage of genetic maps for QTL detection, is also discussed. These studies were part of a European project, called 'genesheepsafety', which investigated both milk production and functional traits. Preliminary QTL results are presented for production traits.