Novel polymorphisms of the growth hormone gene and their effect on growth traits in Chinese goats

The polymorphisms of the growth hormone (GH) gene were analyzed in 686 individuals from four goat populations, Three haplotypes (A, B and C) and three observed genotypes (AA, AB and AC) were detected at the P2 locus, and three haplotypes (E, F and G) and three observed genotypes (EE, EF and EG) were also detected at the P4 locus. In addition, five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)—A112G, C142T (Gly > Ser), C214T (P2 locus), C266A (Pro > His) and C214T (P4 locus, Arg > Trp), were identified by GH gene sequencing and PCR-SSCP analysis. The SNPs loci were in Hardy–Weinberg disequilibrium in three goat populations (P < 0.05). Association of polymorphisms with growth traits was done in BG, F1 and F1 populations, which were shown to be associated with growth traits in three goat populations. The SNPs in the goat GH gene had significant effects on growth traits (P < 0.05). suggesting that the GH gene is a strong candidate gene that affects growth traits in goat.