Free Access
Issue
Genet. Sel. Evol.
Volume 38, Number 5, September-October 2006
Page(s) 495 - 511
DOI https://doi.org/10.1051/gse:2006017
Published online 06 September 2006
Genet. Sel. Evol. 38 (2006) 495-511
DOI: 10.1051/gse:2006017

The effects of selective breeding against scrapie susceptibility on the genetic variability of the Latxa Black-Faced sheep breed

Leopoldo Alfonsoa, Analia Paradaa, Andrés Legarrab, Eva Ugarteb and Ana Aranaa

a  Departamento de Producción Agraria, Universidad Pública de Navarra, 31006 Pamplona, Spain
b  NEIKER, A.B., 01080 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

(Received 9 November 2005; accepted 21 March 2006; published online 6 September 2006)

Abstract - Breeding sheep populations for scrapie resistance could result in a loss of genetic variability. In this study, the effect on genetic variability of selection for increasing the ARR allele frequency was estimated in the Latxa breed. Two sources of information were used, pedigree and genetic polymorphisms (fifteen microsatellites). The results based on the genealogical information were conditioned by a low pedigree completeness level that revealed the interest of also using the information provided by the molecular markers. The overall results suggest that no great negative effect on genetic variability can be expected in the short time in the population analysed by selection of only ARR/ARR males. The estimated average relationship of ARR/ARR males with reproductive females was similar to that of all available males whatever its genotype: 0.010 vs. 0.012 for a genealogical relationship and 0.257 vs. 0.296 for molecular coancestry, respectively. However, selection of only ARR/ARR males implied important losses in founder animals (87 percent) and low frequency alleles (30 percent) in the ram population. The evaluation of mild selection strategies against scrapie susceptibility based on the use of some ARR heterozygous males was difficult because the genetic relationships estimated among animals differed when pedigree or molecular information was used, and the use of more molecular markers should be evaluated.


Key words: genetic variability / scrapie / Manech / Latxa / sheep

Correspondence and reprints: leo.alfonso@unavarra.es

© INRA, EDP Sciences 2006