Bastos, EstelaCravador, A.Azevedo, JorgeGuedes-Pinto, Henrique2012-06-092012-06-092001Bastos, Estela; Cravador, Alfredo; Azevedo, Jorge; Guedes-Pinto, Henrique. Single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) detection in six genes in the Portuguese indigenous sheep breed "Churra da Terra Quente". Biotechnology, Agronomy, Society and Environment, 5, 1, 7-15, 2001.1370-6233AUT: ACR00659;http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/1209Evaluation of the genetic diversity for six genes in forty animals of the Portuguese indigenous sheep breed (Ovis aries) “Churra da Terra Quente” was done. A non-radioactive method to allow single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) detection was optimised, starting from genomic DNAand PCR amplification of seven fragments: exon 1 of the a-lactalbumin gene; exons 10 and 11 of the as1-casein gene; exon 7 of the b-casein gene; exon 4 of the k-casein gene; exons 4 and 5 of the growth hormone gene and exon 6 of the growth hormone receptor gene. Polymorphisms were detected in five of the PCR products. Only k-casein and growth hormone receptor were monomorphic. a-lactalbumin and as1-casein exons showed three conformational patterns, b-casein and growth hormone exon 4 showed two electrophoretic patterns and growth hormone exon 5 showed five conformational patterns. These data provide evidence that “Churra da Terra Quente” has a high genetic variability, which opens interesting prospects for future selection programs and also for preservation strategies. Also, our data show that PCR-SSCP is an appropriate tool for evaluating genetic variability.engSingle Strand Conformation Polymorphism – SSCPGenetic variabilityGrowth hormoneLactoproteinsSheepLandracesjournal article2012-06-03