Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-5xszh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-27T15:23:19.327Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Expression of seasonality in Merinos d’Arles ewes of different genotypes at the MT1 melatonin receptor gene

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 September 2010

J. Teyssier*
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR868 Elevage des Ruminants en Régions Chaudes, 2 place Viala, F-34060 Montpellier, France Montpellier SupAgro, F-34060 Montpellier, France CIRAD, F-34060 Montpellier, France
M. Migaud
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, F-37380 Nouzilly, France CNRS, F-37380 Nouzilly, France Université François Rabelais de Tours, F-37041 Tours, France Haras Nationaux, F-37380 Nouzilly, France
N. Debus
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR868 Elevage des Ruminants en Régions Chaudes, 2 place Viala, F-34060 Montpellier, France Montpellier SupAgro, F-34060 Montpellier, France CIRAD, F-34060 Montpellier, France
C. Maton
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR868 Elevage des Ruminants en Régions Chaudes, 2 place Viala, F-34060 Montpellier, France Montpellier SupAgro, F-34060 Montpellier, France CIRAD, F-34060 Montpellier, France
E. Tillard
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR868 Elevage des Ruminants en Régions Chaudes, 2 place Viala, F-34060 Montpellier, France Montpellier SupAgro, F-34060 Montpellier, France CIRAD, F-34060 Montpellier, France
B. Malpaux
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, F-37380 Nouzilly, France CNRS, F-37380 Nouzilly, France Université François Rabelais de Tours, F-37041 Tours, France Haras Nationaux, F-37380 Nouzilly, France
P. Chemineau
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, F-37380 Nouzilly, France CNRS, F-37380 Nouzilly, France Université François Rabelais de Tours, F-37041 Tours, France Haras Nationaux, F-37380 Nouzilly, France
L. Bodin*
Affiliation:
INRA, UR631 Station d’Amélioration Génétique des Animaux, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France
Get access

Abstract

Spontaneous ovulatory activity (SOA) in spring has been used to study the out-of-season breeding ability of Merinos d’Arles (MA) ewes. Within this breed, an association was found between more intense seasonality and genotype −/− at a MnlI restriction site (allele − for its absence v. + for its presence) in Exon II of the MT1 receptor gene. This study was designed to ascertain whether this association results in a direct effect of the MT1 genotype on the expression of seasonality in MA ewes. In the first year of the study, genotyping of 314 MA ewes at locus MnlI was carried out and resulted in frequencies of 43.0%, 44.9% and 12.1% for genotypes +/+, +/− and −/−, respectively. The SOA of these ewes was determined in early April of two consecutive years by assaying plasma progesterone concentrations in two blood samples taken 9 days apart. Groups of 30 ewes of each homozygous genotype (+/+ and −/−) were identified from this population and their SOA was followed by taking blood samples at regular intervals between January and mid-April of the second and third year of the study. In the second year, groups of ewes were managed together on rangelands, whereas in the third year each group was split into two subgroups given differential feed levels. The results clearly showed that genotype had no significant effect on SOA during the 2- to 3-month period preceding the introduction of rams for spring mating. In the second year of the study, in which the experimental procedure allowed a fair comparison of the fertility of ewes in spring mating, fertility was similar for both genotypes. The reciprocity of the association was not demonstrated and the MnlI polymorphic site could not be used as a genetic marker of selection for out-of-season breeding ability, at least not in the MA breed. The percentage of cycling ewes significantly decreased between January and April, and older ewes (5 or 6 years old depending on the year of the study) were more cyclic than younger ones (2 and 3 years old, respectively). The differential feeding level of ewes from early February did not significantly affect their SOA during the time period studied in the third year of the study.

Type
Full Paper
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Avdi, M, Banos, G, Kouttos, A, Bodin, L, Chemineau, P 2003. Sources of variation and genetic profile of spontaneous, out-of-season ovulatory activity in the Chios sheep. Genetics Selection Evolution 35, 6576.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beltran de Heredia, I, Urgate, E, Malpaux, B, Canepa, S, Bodin, L 2002. Genetic aspects of out of season breeding ability in Latxa sheep. In Proceedings of the 7th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, vol. 30. pp. 717720. Institut National de Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Castanet-Tolosan, France.Google Scholar
Chu, MX, Ji, CL, Chen, GH 2003. Association between PCR-RFLP of melatonin receptor 1a gene and high prolificacy in Small Tail Han sheep. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 16, 17011704.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diggle, PJ, Heagerty, P, Liang, KY, Zeger, SL 2002. Analysis of longitudinal data, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, New York, USA.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hanocq, E, Bodin, L, Thimonier, J, Teyssier, J, Malpaux, B, Chemineau, P 1999. Genetics parameters of spontaneous spring ovulatory activity in Merinos d’Arles sheep. Genetics Selection Evolution 31, 7790.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hernandez, X, Bodin, L, Chesneau, D, Guillaume, D, Chemineau, P, Malpaux, B, Migaud, M 2005. Relationship between MT1 melatonin receptor gene polymorphism and seasonal physiological responses in Ile-de-France ewes. Reproduction Nutrition Development 45, 151162.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hosmer, DW, Lemeshow, S 2000. Applied logistic regression, 2nd edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, USA.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jarrige, R 1988. Alimentation des bovins, ovins et caprins, 1st edition. Institut National de Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Paris, France.Google Scholar
Khaldi, G 1984. Variations saisonnières de l’activité ovarienne, du comportement d’oestrus et de la durée de l’anoestrus post-partum des femelles ovines de race Barbarine: influences du niveau alimentaire et de la présence du mâle. PhD thesis, Montpellier University, France.Google Scholar
Kleemann, DO, Walker, SK 2005. Fertility in South Australian commercial Merino flocks: relationships between reproductive traits and environmental cues. Theriogenology 63, 24162433.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Malpaux, B, Migaud, M, Tricoire, H, Chemineau, P 2001. Biology of mammalian photoperiodism and the critical role of the pineal gland and melatonin. Journal of Biological Rhythms 16, 336347.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mateescu, RG, Lunsford, AK, Thonney, ML 2009. Association between melatonin receptor 1A gene polymorphism and reproductive performance in Dorset ewes. Journal of Animal Science 87, 24852488.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Messer, LA, Wang, L, Tuggle, CK, Yerle, M, Chardon, P, Pomp, D, Womack, JE, Barendse, W, Crawford, AM, Notter, DR, Rothschild, MF 1997. Mapping of the melatonin receptor 1a (MTNR1A) gene in pigs, sheep, and cattle. Mammalian Genome 8, 368370.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Notter, DR, Cockett, NE, Hadfield, TS 2003. Evaluation of melatonin receptor 1a as a candidate gene influencing reproduction in an autumn-lambing sheep flock. Journal of Animal Science 81, 912917.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Notter, DR, Cockett, NE 2005. Opportunities for detection and use of QTL influencing seasonal reproduction in sheep: a review. Genetics Selection Evolution 37 (suppl. 1), S39S53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pelletier, J, Bodin, L, Hanocq, E, Malpaux, B, Teyssier, J, Thimonier, J, Chemineau, P 2000. Association between expression of reproductive seasonality and alleles of the gene for Mel1a receptor in the ewe. Biology of Reproduction 62, 10961101.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
R Development Core Team 2007. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. http://www.R-project.orgGoogle Scholar
Russel, AJF, Doney, JM, Gunn, RG 1969. Subjective assessment of body fat in live sheep. The Journal of Agricultural Science 72, 451454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Terqui, M, Thimonier, J 1974. Nouvelle méthode radioimmunologique rapide pour l’estimation du niveau de progestérone plasmatique. Application pour le diagnostic précoce de gestation chez la brebis et la chèvre. C. R. de l’Académie des sciences, Paris, Série D 279, 11091112.Google Scholar
Teyssier, J, Canepa, S, Chemineau, P, Malpaux, B, Migaud, M, Bodin, L 2002. Preliminary results on selection lines for spontaneous spring ovulatory activity in Merinos d’Arles sheep. In Proceedings of the 7th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, vol. 30, pp. 685688. Institut National de Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Castanet-Tolosan, France.Google Scholar
Teyssier, J, Migaud, M, Debus, N, Maton, C, Bouquet, PM, Bocquier, F, Chemineau, P, Malpaux, B, Bodin, L 2006. Expression of seasonality in the Merinos d’Arles ewe according to the genotype of the melatonin receptor (MT1) gene and the feeding level. In 8th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, CD-ROM comm. 11–14. Sociedade Brasileira de Melhoramento Animal (SBMA), Belo Horizonte, Brazil.Google Scholar
Thimonier, J 2000. Progesterone level analysis for the determination of the physiological status of female farm animals (in French). Productions Animales 13, 177183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trecherel, E 2007. Relationship between MT1 melatonin receptor polymorphism and seasonality of reproduction in sheep through genotyping and functional studies (in French). PhD thesis, Tours University France.Google Scholar
Ugarte, E, Beltran de Heredia, I, Bodin, L 2007. Exploring the relationship between the polymorphism of the melatonin receptor gene and the variability of sheep seasonality. 58th Annual EAAP Meeting, Dublin, Ireland.Google Scholar
Yule, GU 1912. On the methods of measuring association between two attributes, (with discussion). Journal of the Royal Statistical Society 75, 579652.CrossRefGoogle Scholar