Polymorphism of KRT 1.2 and KAP 1.3 Genes in Indian Sheep Breeds

Keratin proteins are the major components of sheep wool, which are divided into two major groups: keratin intermediate filament (KIF) proteins and keratin-associated proteins (KAP). In this study, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to study the genotype and allele frequencies of KRT 1.2 and KAP 1.3 genes in the major wool sheep breeds/strains of India viz., Malpura, Avikalin, Chokla, Sonadi, Nali, Nellore, Garole, Magra, Deccani, Patanwadi and Kendrapara. M alleles predominated in KRT 1.2 locus; while variations in predominance between allele X and allele Y at KAP 1.3 locus were observed in the studied populations. All three genotypes were observed in native sheep populations for KRT 1.2 and KAP 1.3 loci.