全基因组关联分析(genome-wide association study, GWAS)是一种复杂性状功能基因鉴定的分析策略,已成为挖掘畜禽重要经济性状候选基因的重要手段。随着绵羊和山羊基因组完成和公布,以及不同密度的SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism)芯片的推出并进行商业化推广,不仅大大丰富了羊标记辅助选择可利用的分子标记,而且还为开展重要性状的分子机理的探索提供了重要技术支撑。本文主要针对羊角、羊毛、羊奶、生长发育、肉质、繁殖和疾病等重要性状的GWAS研究所用的群体、主要研究方法和研究结果进行了综述,并对GWAS方法研究现状进行了归纳,以期为进一步利用GWAS进行羊的各种性状的遗传基础研究提供参考。

Genome-wide association study (GWAS), an effective strategy to identify genetic variants associated with complex traits, has been used to study candidate genes of economical traits in animals. With the recent completion of sheep and goat genomes, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chips of different densities are developed and commercialized. All these advances have enlarged the collection of molecular markers and also shed new light on the genetics of traits of interest in sheep and goats. In this review, we focus on the adoption of GWAS for important traits in sheep and goats, such as horn types, wool, dairy, growth and meat, reproduction and disease types, etc., and summarize the populations, major statistical methods and results of the GWAS analysis. Moreover, we also discuss the current state of GWAS, aiming to provide a reference for further studies on the genetic background of the important traits of sheep and goats by GWAS.