Abstract

Scrapie is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy caused by prions and leads to neurodegeneration in the Central Nervous System (CNS) of sheep and goats. Genetic resistance/susceptibility to scrapie is well studied and it is known that the variations of 136th, 154th and 171st codons at the ovine PRNP gene have a major effect on the development of the disease. Many studies demonstrated that selection for PRNP genotypes has not influenced other performance traits, nevertheless, there is a knowledge gap about the possible link between the PRNP gene and the status of the other important diseases that affect the sheep population worldwide. In the present study, we tested whether there is an association between scrapie-related PRNP genotypes and fecal egg count (FEC) of gastrointestinal nematodes in seven adult Turkish sheep breeds. For this purpose, FEC scores of studied sheep (n = 253) were determined and the same animals were genotyped for the PRNP gene. Finally, an association analysis was performed for scrapie resistant (ARR), susceptible (VRQ), and wild-type (ARQ) haplotypes. Based on our statistical analysis, it is concluded that PRNP genotypes have no positive or negative effect on the FEC scores of adult sheep.

摘要

痒病是由朊病毒引起的传染性海绵状脑病，可导致绵羊和山羊的中枢神经系统 (CNS) 神经变性。对瘙痒病的遗传抗性/易感性进行了充分研究，并且已知绵羊PRNP基因第 136、154 和 171 位密码子的变异对该疾病的发展具有重大影响。许多研究表明，对PRNP基因型的选择并未影响其他生产性状，然而，关于PRNP基因与影响全球绵羊种群的其他重要疾病状况之间可能存在的联系存在知识空白。在本研究中，我们测试了痒病相关PRNP之间是否存在关联七个成年土耳其绵羊品种胃肠道线虫的基因型和粪便卵数 (FEC)。为此， 确定了所研究的绵羊 ( n = 253) 的FEC 分数，并对相同的动物进行了PRNP基因的基因分型。最后，对痒病抗性 (ARR)、易感 (VRQ) 和野生型 (ARQ) 单倍型进行了关联分析。根据我们的统计分析，可以得出结论，PRNP基因型对成年绵羊的 FEC 评分没有正面或负面影响。