Genotyping of 30 sheep of the Krivovirska breed from the territory of the Republic of Serbia using molecular markers in order to determine the level of genetic diversity of the population and preserve its gene pool

Institute of Animal Husbandry, 14/360, 2022
Principal Investigator: Jelena M. Aleksic, PhD, IMGGE

Zackel is one of the autochthonous sheep breeds in Republic of Serbia, which is very heterogeneous and includes 7 strains. Since differences in morphological and production characteristics of strains are insufficient to distinguish them into separate breeds, it is necessary to perform their genetic characterization using molecular markers, which complement morphological characterization and can help resolve doubts in cases where relatively small differences in phenotype cannot unambiguously determine whether it is one or more breeds. Krivovirska sheep is one of the strains of Zackel that is bred today mainly in ​​eastern Serbia, in the area of Krivi vir, but is found in other area of the Republic of Serbia as well. The goal of this project is genotyping of 30 sheep of Krivovirska strain using at least 12 nuclear microsatellites and their comparative analysis with the populations of Karakačanska, Pirotska and Bardoka Zackel to determine the genetic status and relationship of populations as well as the number of sheep breeds. In addition, the variability of the control region of the mitochondrial genome of the Krivovirska sheep will be analyzed, which will be used for comparative analysis with the other populations/breeds/strains for which adequate data are available in the public data base (GenBank) in order to better understand the evolutionary history of sheep from Serbia. The obtained data will be used by the Main Breeding Organization to formulate guidelines for preserving the gene pool of autochthonous sheep breeds, which will enable the improvement of the sheep breeding program, as well as livestock and agriculture in Republic of Serbia.