Identification of mutations in BMP15 and GDF9 genes associated with prolificacy of Markhoz goats

The Markhoz is a local goat breed in the Kurdistan region of Iran. The mohair obtained from these animals plays an important cultural role and is used for making local clothes in the Kurdistan region. This breed is a low-fecundity local goat, and searching for genes associated with fertility of these goats is important for their breeding. Moreover, this research is complementary to prior studies of candidate genes associated with fertility. The growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) are attractive candidates expressed by the oocyte and are associated with increased ovulation rate in sheep. However, there are no reports on single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with fertility of Markhoz goats. Hence, we studied these candidate genes and found two novel mutations (g.233C [Formula: see text] A and g.755T [Formula: see text] G) in GDF9 exon I and in BMP15 exon II, respectively. Furthermore, we investigated their association with prolificacy. These nucleotide changes are detectable with the PCR-RFLP method and can be used in the screening for highly fecund goats. Both of the mutations significantly increased litter size in heterozygote form for BMP15 and homozygote form for GDF9 in this goat breed. Homozygote females for the BMP15 mutation were not identified in the Markhoz breed, which is similar to the situation found in Belclare sheep, small-tailed Han sheep, and Jining Grey goats.