DNA METHYLATION PROFILE OF DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE 3B (DNM T3B) G ENE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON GROWTH TRAITS IN GOAT

The objective of this study was to identify the DNA methylation profile of DNA methyltransferase 3b（Dnmt3b） gene and its association with growth traits between the overweight and underweight groups of adult goats. Herein, hypermethylation pattern in Dnmt3b gene 5’ region was firstly reported in adult goats and eleven polymorphic methylation loci from all expected CpG-dinucleotide positions were revealed. In the analyzed population, methylation percentages (MPs) varied from 77.69% to 93.94%. Intriguingly, methylation share rate (MSR) with a range from 0.787 to 0.975 for different individuals was firstly created to evaluate the methylation level. Furthermore, a significant association between DNA methylation of the 11th CpG-dinucleotide locus and body weight was found in adult goats ( *P=0.023), as well as a significant relationship between the average DNA methylation level and body weight ( *P=0.049). The methylation level of overweight group was significantly less than that of underweight group, suggesting that hypomethylation of Dnmt3b gene was significantly associated with the overweight of adult goats. Therefore, DNA methylation profile of the Dnmt3b gene was recommended to be a novel epigenetic marker which would benefit for selection and breeding through marker-assisted selection (MAS) in goat industry