Association of a 7.9 kb Endogenous Retrovirus Insertion in Intron 1 of CD36 with Obesity and Fat Measurements in Sheep

Abstract Background Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) enhance genetic diversity in vertebrates, including sheep. This study investigates the role of Ov-ERV-R13- CD36 within CD36 gene and its association with phenotypic traits in sheep. Analyzing 58 sheep genomes revealed that ERVs constitute approximately 6.02% to 10.05% of the genomic content. We identified 31 retroviral insertion polymorphisms (RIPs) from 28 ERV groups. Among these, Ov-ERV-R13- CD36 , which is specifically classified as a beta retrovirus, was selected for further analysis due to its location in CD36 gene, known for its role in fat metabolism, obesity (OB), body weight (BW), and body condition score (BCS). We assessed the association of Ov-ERV-R13- CD36 with OB and BCS across six sheep breeds, utilizing data from 1,355 individuals. Results Genomic analyses confirmed that Ov-ERV-R13- CD36 is located within CD36 gene on Chromosome 4, with polymorphisms across various sheep genomes. In a subset of 43 genomes, 22 contained the Ov-ERV-R13- CD36 insertion, while 21 exhibited wild-type variants. The studied animals showed variability in BCS and fat content associated with the Ov-ERV-R13- CD36 variant. Notably, Rahmani sheep exhibited a significantly higher BCS (4.62), categorized as obese, while Barki sheep displayed the lowest BCS (2.73), classified as thin to average. The association analysis indicated that sheep with the RIP −/− genotype correlated with higher OB and BCS, particularly in Rahmani and Romanov x Rahmani breeds. Conclusions Findings suggest that Ov-ERV-R13- CD36 within CD36 gene correlates with beneficial economic traits associated with OB and BCS, particularly in Rahmani and Romanov x Rahmani breeds. This indicates that Ov-ERV-R13- CD36 could be a valuable genetic marker for breeding programs aimed at enhancing traits like fat deposition and body condition in sheep.