CAST/MspI gene polymorphism and its impact on growth performance and carcass traits of Shami goats breed in Iraq

Abstract

The identification of allelic and genotypic polymorphisms of the calpastatin gene and verify the effect of these polymorphisms on growth and non-carcass components traits of Shami goats breed were The objectives of this study. Seventy males of Shami goats were phenotyped for growth performance (birth weight, weaning weight, slaughter weight ), carcass weights (hot and chill carcass weights) and non-carcass components traits (head, legs, skin, heart, lungs, testes, spleen and kidney weights). Male goats were weighed at the beginning of the experiment and the subsequent weights were measured. All goats were slaughtered to evaluate carcass characteristics. Two alleles (M and N) with frequencies of 0.84 and 0.16, respectively, and two genotypes (MM, MN) with 68.6% and 31.4% frequencies successively, were detected. The association of calpastatin genotype was significant with weaning weight, slaughter weight, carcass hot and chill weights (P < 0.05) by the superiority of MN genotype with 16.964, 27.70, 11.28 and11.01 kg respectively. The same superiority of MN genotype was found in non-carcass components traits (P < 0.05) with 2081.07, 801.78, 1699.29, 109.28, 326.07 and 187.64 gm., for head, legs, skin, heart, lungs and testes respectively.