Relationship of Calpastatin Gene Polymorphism with Growth Traits in Some Locally Reared Awassi and Akkaraman Sheep Breeds

In this study, it was aimed to determine the polymorphism of Calpastatin gene (CAST) in Awassi and Akkaraman sheep which were reared in Osmaniye province within the scope of National Sheep Breeding Project in the Hand of the Public. The study was carried out on a total of 39 blood samples taken from 20 head Awassi sheep and 19 head Akkaraman sheep reared in 5 different farms. In the study in which PCR-RFLP method was used, 622 bp long PCR amplicons obtained from genomic DNA samples of Awassi and Akkaraman sheep breeds for CAST gene were digested with MspI restriction enzyme; Two bands of 336 and 286 bp in length for homozygous MM allele, a single band of 622 bp in length for homozygous NN allele and three bands of 622, 336 and 286 bp in length for heterozygous MN alleles were observed. The frequencies of M and N alleles in Akkaraman breed were 0.82 and 0.18, respectively, while the frequencies of M and N in Awassi breed were 0.75 and 0.25, respectively. The frequencies of MM, MN and NN genotypes were 0.60, 0.30 and 0.10, respectively. Contrary to Awassi breed, only MM and MN genotypes were observed in Akkaraman sheep and their frequencies were calculated as 0.63 and 0.37, respectively. While deviation in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was found to be insignificant in Akkaraman population, it was found to be significant in Awassi sheep. The association analysis revealed that there was a significant association (P