Polymorphism in BPM-15 gene and its association with litter size in Anglo-Nubian goat

For association between BMP-15 (exon2) gene polymorphisms and litter size trait in Anglo-Nubian goat, PCR-SSCP technique was developed. Twenty-five female Anglo-Nubian goats reared under Egyptian conditions were selected according to their litter size. DNA from blood samples of these animals was extracted to amplify 140-bp of the BMP-15 gene affecting litter size production trait in goats. Based on the breeding value, 25 animals were selected from the highest to the lowest litter size productivity. PCR amplification size of the BMP-15 gene (140-bp) was genotyped in all animals. PCR-SSCP analysis of the BMP-15 gene (140-bp) showed three various genotypes BB, BM and MM with frequencies 0.46, 0.43 and 0.11, respectively. The frequencies of the B and M alleles were 0.68 and 0.32, respectively. The results indicated that the BB genotype was higher in litter size productivity than the other genotypes with significant differences. The result of this study confirmed that BMP-15 gene may be a strong candidate gene for further applications in marker-assisted selection (MAS) for litter size in goats.