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The establishment of an association between prion protein gene (PRNP) polymorphisms and scrapie susceptibility in sheep has enabled the development of breeding programmes to increase scrapie resistance in the European Union. Intense selection for PRNP genotype may lead to correlated selection for genes linked to PRNP. We intended to investigate if any association exists between genetic variation in prion-like protein Doppel gene (PRND) and scrapie susceptibility, determined through PRNP genotyping. Sampling included 460 sheep from eight Portuguese breeds and the PRND gene coding region was analysed by multiple restriction fragment-single strand conformation polymorphism (MRF-SSCP), whereas PRNP genotyping was carried out by primer extension. A synonymous substitution (c.78G>A) was detected in codon 26 of the PRND gene, in all breeds except Churra Mondegueira. Linkage disequilibrium was found between the PRND and PRNP loci (P = 0.000). Specifically, PRND was monomorphic in the 45 animals with the more resistant ARR/ARR PRNP genotype (P = 0.003), whereas a higher frequency of PRND heterozygotes (GA) was associated with ARQ/AHQ (P = 0.029). These results constitute preliminary evidence of an association between a polymorphism in the PRND gene and scrapie susceptibility, and indicate that the possibility of undesirable consequences from widespread selection for PRNP genotype on genetic diversity and reproduction traits needs to be further investigated.

The objective of this study was to search for polymorphisms in the ovine prion-related protein (testis-specific) gene (PRNT). Sampling included 567 sheep from eight Portuguese breeds. The PRNT gene-coding region was analyzed by single-strand conformation polymorphism and sequencing, allowing the identification of the first ovine PRNT polymorphisms, in codons 6, 38, 43 and 48: c.17C>T (p.Ser6Phe, which disrupts a consensus arginine-X-X-serine/threonine motif); c.112G>C (p.Gly38>Arg); c.129T>C and c.144A>G (synonymous) respectively. Polymorphisms in codons 6, 38 and 48 occur simultaneously in 50.6% of the animals, 38.8% presenting as heterozygous. To study the distribution of the polymorphism in codon 43, a restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was performed. Polymorphic variant c.129C, identified in 89.8% of the animals with 32.8% presented as heterozygous, was considered the wild genotype in Portuguese sheep. Eight different haplotypes which have comparable distribution in all breeds were identified for the PRNT gene. In conclusion, the PRNT coding region is highly polymorphic in sheep, unlike the prion protein 2 dublet gene (PRND), in which we previously found only one synonymous substitution (c.78G>A), in codon 26. The absence or reduced number of PRND heterozygotes (c.78G>A) was significantly associated with three PRNT haplotypes (17C-112G-129T-144A,17CT-112GC-129CT-144AG and 17T-112C-129C-144G), and the only three animals found homozygous at c.78A had the 17C-112G-129C-144A PRNT haplotype. These results constitute evidence of an association between polymorphic variation in PRND and PRNT genes, as has already been observed for PRND and prion protein gene (PRNP).