Comparison of the myostatin (MSTN) gene in Russian Stavropol Merino sheep and New Zealand Merino sheep

The aim of this research was to study the myostatin gene (MSTN) in Russian Stavropol Merino sheep and compare them with Merino sheep from New Zealand (NZ). Thirty rams of the Stavropol Merino breed and ten NZ Merinos were investigated. In order to detect sequence variation in MSTN, enrichment and sequencing of targeted DNA fragments was undertaken using NimbleGen technology. Nucleotide sequence variations (n = 31) were found in MSTN, including 29 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), one deletion and one insertion. Of these, 21 of the SNPs, the insertion and the deletion, were found in the Stavropol Merino sheep and 17 were found in the NZ Merinos. Eight variations in MSTN are described for the first time: c.373+396T>C, c.374-362A>T, c.374-16delT, c.747+185C>A, c.748-194C>A, c.782_783insT, c.940G>T and c.*310G>T, and these were unique to the Stavropol Merinos. The presence of SNP c.940G>T leads to the formation of a stop-codon (GAA>TAA) and thus truncated protein at amino acid position 314, while the insertion c.782_783insT changes the reading frame and would cause an amino acid sequence change from amino acid position 263 onwards, with the formation of a stop-codon at position 265. The study confirms the presence of additional variability in both non-coding and coding regions of ovine myostatin, which might subsequently be analysed to ascertain whether it affects meat production.