Genome-wide association study of live body weight and body conformation traits in young Karachai goats

The study aimed to identify genomic regions and candidate genes associated with live body weight and body conformation traits in young Karachai goats in Russia, we genotyped 281 goats and 35,426 informative SNPs. SNPs were identified for six of the eight traits studied: live body weight at birth (1 SNP), live body weight (33 SNPs), withers height (2 SNPs), rump height (4 SNPs), oblique body length (2 SNPs), and thoracic depth (1 SNP) at age 4 months. The most significant number of candidate genes was identified at Chr5 (14 candidate genes for the 3 traits). The most significant genes related to live body weight at age 4 months are MSTN, HEG1, FGF10, FGF14, GHRH, and SLAIN, which are growth factors with high expression in muscle tissue. GRIK3, ATP1A3, ACACA, APBB2, PAQR3, and PGM1 genes regulate energy metabolism in cells and are involved in various metabolic processes, including fatty acid biosynthesis and lipid metabolism. Cell division and immune response are regulated by TBK1, CDK2, BPIFA1, BPIFA3, MUC13, GALNT10, GALNT14, DEFB119, DEFB123, SLC12A8, SLC38A6, and LPP. The genes SYN3 and TIMP3 have been associated with oblique body length trait, as well as neuroregulatory processes and extracellular matrix. These genes can be used as a molecular marker for selecting growth traits in goats, which provides a theoretical basis for genetic improvement in goat breeds in Russia.