The polymorphism of A781G locus of the growth hormone (GH) gene was analyzed in
112 Vembur sheep. HaeIII – RFLP of the GH gene (422 bp) revealed the existence of two
genotypes viz., AA (366 and 56 bp) and AB (422, 366 and 56 bp), and two alleles viz., A and
B. Genotypic frequencies for AA and AB were 0.43 and 0.57, and allelic frequencies were 0.71
and 0.29 for A and B respectively. BB genotype was absent. Highly significant Chi-square
value (P < 0.001) showed that the population is not under Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium at
the A781G locus. This indicates that molecular markers associated with embryonic survival
are to be explored for their use in MAS in Vembur population.