Development and Application of a High-Resolution Melting Analysis with Unlabeled Probes for the Screening of Short-Tailed Sheep Heterozygotes.

The short-tailed phenotype has long been considered one of the best traits for population genetic improvement in sheep breeding. In short-tailed sheep, not only is tail fat eliminated but also the pubic area is exposed due to the lack of a tail covering, giving them an advantage in reproduction. Recent studies have shown that two linked mutations in sheep at nucleotides 333 and 334 are associated with the short-tailed phenotype.