Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA of Chinese Main Indigenous Sheep Breeds

The random amplified polymorphic DNA(RAPD) of 88 individuals from 8 Chinese indigenous sheep breeds was studied using 10 arbitrary primers with 10 base pairs.The results showed that the percentage of polymorphic loci and the average index of genetic diversity for whole population is 81.36% and (1.337 0) respectively.It could be inferred that Chinese indigenous sheep breeds are with abundant genetic diversity.But preservation should be carried out for Tan sheep,Small Tail Han sheep,Tibetan sheep and Mongolia sheep due to their deficiency of genetic diversity.The index of genetic differentiation of whole population is (0.917 2).It could be concluded that the genetic variation exists mainly between populations.The molecular dendrogram among sheep populations illuminate the genetic relationship of populations seems to be in accord with their forming history,origin and evolution.The dendrogram among some sheep breeds indicate their same origination,and that the genetic differentiation among 4 indigenous sheep breeds is evident,and the genetic differentiation between Hu sheep and Mongolia sheep is higher than that between Small Tail Han sheep and Ujumqin sheep,but is the highest between the two groups.