Genome-wide association studies in sheep from Latin America

Sheep are one of the most important domestic species worldwide due to their productive and reproductive potential. Therefore, identifying the best animals with productive characteristics of economic interest is the main goal in flock breeding programs. However, in most of Latin American countries, animal selection is inefficient due to subjective selection and the complex nature of these characteristics; given their quantitative nature, their expression involves the interaction of multiple genes with the environment. Currently, due to the advances in new sequencing, genotyping, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) technologies, it has been possible to identify numerous variations in the DNA of animals, mainly single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) that can be found in genes that affect the expression of traits of economic interest. This review presents the progress in implementing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in Latin America, their use in sheep production systems, and the results obtained in productive, reproductive, functional, or quality traits.