Prediction of the Best Three-Breed Hybridized Combination of Imported Meat Sheep Using Genetic Polymorphism of Microsatellite DNA

The allelic frequency, the polymorphic information contents (PIC), the number of effective alleles, the heterozygosity, and the genetic distances were studied in three imported meat sheep (Suffolk, Dorset, Texel) and their F1 crossbred obtained from those crossed with indigenous Small Tail Han Sheep (Suffolk ♂ × Small Tail Han Sheep♀, SH; Dorset♂ × Small Tail Han Sheep♀, DH; Texel♂ × Small Tail Han Sheep♀, TH) using six microsatellite DNA loci. The perpormences of three-breed crossbred (Suffolkd♂ × DH♀, Suffolkc♂ × TH♀, Texel♂ × SH♀, Texelc♂ × DH♀, Dorset♂ × TH♀, and Dorset♂ × SH♀) were tested. The results indicated that there were genetic polymorphisms at six microsatellite loci in six sheep populations. Six microsatellite loci could be used for genetic diversity evaluation in sheep populations. The order of three-breed heterosis by the analysis of genetic relationship from large to small was Texel ♂ × DH ♀, Suffolk♂ × DH♀, Suffolk ♂ × TH♀, Texel♂ × SH♀, Dorset♂ × TH♀, and Dorset♂ × SH♀, which was in accordance with the testing results on actual heterosis. These results showed that prediction of the best three-breed hybridized combination among sheep breeds by microsatellite DNA polymorphism was feasible, which will have an important value on the reasonable utilization of introduced meat sheep and sheep breeding in our country in the future.