Producing tender meat that consumer's desire is one of the major problems facing the SHEEP industry. Therefore, study of the biochemical mechanisms for muscle degradation is essential at the molecular level. Calpastatin is an endogenous inhibitor and plays an essential role in regulation of calpain activity in cells. SANJABI SHEEP is an important animal producing meat in Kermanshah province that until now has not been studied by DNA markers, especially in the case of calpastatin gene. Therefore, present study was conducted to determine the genetic diversity of calpastatin gene in SANJABI SHEEP and to compare this breed with other SHEEP breeds. A 622 bp fragment from this gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from DNA samples of 142 SANJABI SHEEP. PCR products were characterized by the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method using two restriction enzymes, Msp I, and Nco I, yielding 3 genotypes, MM, MN and NN. Genotype frequencies of MM, MN and NN were 0.67, 0.25 and 0.08, respectively. Gene frequencies of M and N were 0.79 and 0.21, respectively and mean of Nei's and Shanon's indexes were 0.51 and 0.33, respectively. Population was not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for this locus. The results of this experiment indicated that this population is highly polymorphic. Furthermore, in the most studied Iranian SHEEP breeds, all 3 genotypes of this gene have not been detected whereas in this breed all 3 genotypes were observed.

Inroduction & Objective: SANJABI SHEEP is one of the valuable breeds of SHEEP in the west of the country, which is very important in terms of meat and wool production. Considering the importance of native SHEEP breeds and their breeding, the present study was performed in order to achieve more production (quantity and quality), identification of genetic structure and estimation of relevant parameters (number of observed and effective alleles, heterozygosity, Shannon index, etc. ). Material and Method: The study population consisted of 100 SANJABI rams and ewes located in Mehregan station of Kermanshah province that were randomly selected. DNA extraction was performed by salt method. PCR reaction was performed using 10 microsatellite markers. Amplified DNA fragments were stained on acrylamide gel and detected by silver nitrate method. Alleles were scored according to their size and compared to the standard index PUC8 of Fermentase Company. Results: The results of this study showed that all markers were polymorphic. The mean number of observed and effective alleles for all markers was calculated to be 4. 5 and 2. 9012, respectively. The highest and lowest expected heterozygosity were obtained in OarFCB11 and BMS2721 markers equal to 0. 7548 and 0. 5619, respectively. The expected heterozygosity for all markers (genetic diversity) was 0. 6487. Conclusion: According to the obtained results, it can be said that the studied SHEEP have a desirable level of diversity and can be achieved by high breeding by breeding and selection of superior livestock. The markers used also have a high ability to study the genetic structure of SANJABI SHEEP and their use is recommended in future studies.

microsatellites are widely used for designing of gene mapping, genetic distance estimation and evaluation of different animals. The aim of present study was investigation of association of microsatellite markers polymorphism with production and reproduction traits of SANJABI SHEEP. Blood samples were randomly collected from 78 ewes and 22 rams of SANJABI SHEEP and transported to laboratory. After extraction of DNA by salting out method, 11 microsatellite loci (GC101, LSCV043, TGLA377, CSSM47, OarFCB128, OarAE101, BM1329, BM143, OarHH55, OarHH35 and OarHH64) were amplified by specific primers and polymerase chain reaction. By electrophoresis of productions on 8% polyacrylamide gel, different alleles were recognized and then data were analyzed by using of software program SAS 9.1 and POPGENE. The mean of number of observed and effective alleles were 5.82 and 4.05, respectively. PIC amount of markers was in range of 0.63 (TGLA377) to 0.82 (OarHH35). The mean of observed and expected heterozygosity was 0.64 and 0.77 in between loci, respectively. Also, the statistical analysis showed that genotypes associated with markers TGLA377, CSSM47, OarFCB128, OarHH35, OarHH55 and OarHH64 have had a significant effect (P<0.01) on the twinning of SANJABI SHEEP and genotypes associated with markers GC101, LSCV043, TGLA377, CSSM47, OarAE101, BM143 and OarHH64 have had a significant effect (P<0.05) on body weight gain traits in different ages. Due to the findings, it can be concluded that except of marker BM1329, other studied markers are suitable on body weight gain and twinning traits in breeding programs of SANJABI SHEEP.

Background: Genetic diversity determines a population's capacity to respond to selection and undergo genetic improvement. To evaluate breeding programs and make informed decisions about their continuation, assessing the genetic diversity of the population is essential. This project aimed to investigate the genetic diversity and estimate the population parameters of SANJABI SHEEP based on pedigree analysis. Methods: The information used in this study included the animal number, sire number, dam number, sex, and date of birth of 2,067 purebred SHEEP collected at the Mehrgan station from 2009 to 2022. Pedigree analysis was conducted on the entire population or a reference population to estimate parameters such as inbreeding coefficients, rate of inbreeding increase, effective population size, generation interval, effective number of founders, and effective number of ancestors. Results: The generation interval and average relationship were estimated at 2.87 years and 0.43%, respectively. The average inbreeding coefficient for the entire population was calculated at 0.48%, indicating a low level of inbreeding. However, the trend of inbreeding changes over the studied years was unfavorable. The effective population size was estimated to be 260.86, based on the increase in individual inbreeding and the maximum number of generations method. The effective size of the founders was estimated at 272.60, indicating balanced participation of the base population in reproduction. The effective number of founder individuals (fe) and the effective number of ancestors (fa) were found to be 109 and 100, respectively. The fe/fa ratio was calculated as 1.09, suggesting a low effect of genetic bottlenecks. Notably, 50% of the total genetic diversity was attributed to 38 ancestor individuals, highlighting their balanced contribution to the genetic diversity of the next generation. Conclusion: The results indicate that, despite the small and closed nature of the population, there is relatively high genetic diversity among individuals. Since the loss of genetic diversity and the increase in homozygosity can lead to decreased production performance, it is crucial to prevent further reductions in genetic diversity and mitigate its adverse effects by continuously monitoring genetic diversity and making informed decisions to preserve it.

Knowledge on animal requirement, available forage and its quality is fundamental for successful livestock and range management. Since SHEEP is dominant grazing animal of rangelands in Iran and there are over 27 SHEEP breeds and each breed has special body size, physiological condition and consequently different daily nutrition requirement, animal unit should be determinated for dominant breed of SHEEP in every region to be calculated the forage requirement based on body weight, daily energy requirement and quality of available forage. In this study, two herds of Kermanshah's SANJABI breed have been weighted including 50 animals in each herd (15 heads three years old ewe, 15 heads  four years old ewe, 5 heads  three years old ram, 5 heads four years old ram, 5 heads  three months old lamb and 5 heads six months old lamb) in three stages. The body weight of SANJABI breed (based on average body weight of three and four years old ewe) was 60.68±0.56 kg. Animal unit equivalent (AUE) for ewe, ram and lamb were 1.29, 1.88 and 0.63 kg, respectively. The results of analysis of variance indicated that there are significant differences between weight of ewes and rams (P<0.01). The metabolizable energy requirement determinated based on maintenance condition (with 40% extra energy because of regions, topographic condition and watering point distances) using two method of MAFF (1984) formula and NRC (1985) tables. In the first method, the daily energy requirement of animal unit was obtained 10.97 MJ while second method it was 12.28 MJ. Generally, information about daily requirement is essential for animal nutrition management in rangeland and it should be considerated in range management designs.

Bone structure has been widely studied in mammals, however, osteon structure in SHEEP has received relatively little attention, especially in terms of its location on the forelimbs and hindlimbs. The aim of this study was to investigate the histometric characteristics and mineral composition of the metacarpus and metatarsus of adult SANJABI SHEEP. Metacarpal and metatarsal bones were collected from five adult SANJABI SHEEP (n = 10). Morphometric measurements were performed on computed tomographic scan images. Histometric parameters were measured on histological sections. The mineral composition of the bone samples was detected using the X-ray fluorescence method. The diameter of the Haversian canal in the right metatarsus was significantly greater than that in the other bones. The smallest diameter of the Haversian canal was observed for the right metacarpus. The diameter and area of the osteons in the right metacarpal were significantly greater than those in the other bones. The amount of essential mineral elements was not significantly different among bones. Aluminum and lead were significantly greater in the left metatarsus. The highest amount of copper was observed in the left metacarpus. These results indicated that there was a greater load on the right limb. This compensatory mechanism might be used to put more weight on the right forelimb and reduce the pressure caused by the weight of the rumen on the left forelimb. However, to prove this hypothesis, more detailed and extensive studies are needed in the future.

In this data consisting of 1382 records of birth weight (BW), 1367 records of 3 month weight (3MW) and 1263 records of weaning weight (WW, 4 month weight) from the SANJABI SHEEP, collected from the animal research center of Mehrgan in the Kermanshah city over the period 1369 to 1377. Average and standard deviation for birth weight, 3MW and 4MW were respectively estimated 4.58±0.67, 23.46±4.90 and 26.71±5.41. For estimating genetic and phenotypic parameters, (Co) variance components the animal model DFREML packages were used that the most suitable model for studied traits included fixed effects of year of birth , age of dam, sex of lamb, type of birth and month of birth(except BW) and random effects for the direct and maternal addative genetic effects and maternal permanent environmental effect. Direct heritability and maternal heritability were estimated 0.1, 0.096 (BW), 0.21, 0.11 (3MW) and 0.14, 0.12 (WW) respectively. Direct addative genetic correlation between BW with 3MW, WW and 3MW with WW were estimates 0.68, 0.603 and 0.755 respectively Phenotypic and environmental and correlation were estimates between BW with 3MW,WW and 3mw with WW (0.391,0.31), (0.311, 0.292) and (0.597,0.556) respectively.

The purpose of this study was to identify the rate of polymorphism in BM6444, INRA13 and orahh35 microsatellite markers associated with Inhibin gene in SANJABI SHEEP. For this purpose, blood samples were taken randomly from 100 SANJABI SHEEP (78 females and 22 males) at Mehregan Breeding Station at Kermanshah. Modified salting out method was employed for extracting DNA. Subsequently, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was carried out with specific primers pairs for amplification of microsatellite marker sites. The PCR products were electrophoreses on acryl-amid gel. For detecting genotypes within the population, silver staining method was used. Genetic analyses on genotypic data were carried out using POPGEN 1.32 and Cervus 2.0 softwares. Results showed, three alleles (C: 0.42, B: 0.28, A: 0.29), and 2 genotypes respectively, (AB: 0.32, BC: 0.68) for oarhh35 marker. For this marker, PIC index was 0.71, and the effective number of allele was 2.48. INRA13 had six alleles (A: 0.21, B: 0.25, C: 0.21, D: 0.09, E: 0.11 and F: 0.12) and three genotypes (AB: 0.42, BD: 0.29 and CD: 0.27) with a PIC index of 0.72 and an effective number of allele as 5.21. For BM644 marker, four alleles (A: 0.18, B: 0.38, C: 0.31 and D: 0.12) and four genotypes (AD: 0.32, CD: 0.18, AB: 0.12 and BC: 0.38) were identified. For this marker, the PIC index and the effective number of allele were 0.62 and 3.42, respectively.

The present study was carried out to detection of polymorphism in BMP15 gene and effects on litter size and body weight in SANJABI SHEEP breed using SSCP-PCR method. Blood samples were collected randomly from 100 individuals (78 female and 22 male) at Mehregan Breeding Station of Kermanshah, Iran. Based on obtained results 80% of animals showed MM and 20% NN genotypes at BMP15 marker site. Results showed that BMP15 is important for twining (Pvalue<0.05). The effect of fixed parity and fixed lambing are not significant on litter size. Also results showed that the effect of BMP15 is significant (Pvalue<0.05) on body weight of birth, body weight of 45days and 3month. In BMP15 gene the average of litter size for NN genotype (1.1 ± 0.007) is more than MM genotype (0.25±0.007). Also NN genotype of BMP15 gene average of body birth weight (4.69±0.05) is more than MM genotype (4.45±0.05). The average of 45 days (11.3±0.13) and 3 month (19.62±14) of MM genotype is important than NN genotype. In other body weight traits not observed differs in NN and MM genotypes.