Variation in lactoferrin gene affects milk lactoferrin content and somatic cell count in murrah buffaloes

Abstract

Lactoferrin plays an important role in antimicrobial defence and is a potential candidate gene for mastitis resistance. In the present investigation, polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) studies were carried out in Murrah (Bubalus bubalis) buffaloes to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of lactoferrin gene and to analyse the association between the observed polymorphisms with milk lactoferrin content and Somatic cell count (SCC). PCR-SSCP analysis revealed a total of 07 different variants in the partial coding region of the lactoferrin gene. PCR-SSCP analysis of exon 10 of lactoferrin gene revealed three and that of exons 4 and 5 revealed two unique patterns each, while all other exons exhibited monomorphic pattern. Comparison of nucleotide sequences of lactoferrin gene of the Murrah buffaloes with taurine reference sequence revealed a total of 14 point mutations, 09 of which were found to be in coding region. Conceptualized translation of nucleotide sequence revealed 07 amino acid changes. SSCP variants of exon 10 (P less than 0.01) had significant effect on milk SCC. The SSCP variants of exon 4 and exon 5 had significant (P less than 0.05) effect on lactoferrin content. The SCC and lactoferrin content in Murrah buffaloes was highest in 4th and above parity group. Stage of lactation had highly significant (P less than 0.01) effect on both milk SCC and lactoferrin content. There was a high and significant (p less than 0.01) correlation (0.741) between SCC and lactoferrin content in milk. The observed association between SSCP variants in lactoferrin gene with milk SCC and milk lactoferrin content can be used as prognostic markers for selection of animals for high lactoferrin content and low somatic cell count, as well as a marker of susceptibility/resistance to mastitis in Murrah buffaloes

Sensitivity and applications of the PCR Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphism method

“…PCR-SSCP has been used for several traits of animals such as wool characteristics [ 23 ], milk production traits [ 24 ], profile of sheep fatty acids [ 25 ], detection of Escherichia coli in the black swan [ 26 ], growth and carcass traits in lambs [ 27 ], reproductive traits in cattle [ 28 ], egg production traits in hens [ 29 ], body weight traits on chicken [ 30 – 32 ], gene study for fat-tailed and nonfat-tailed sheep [ 33 ], serotyping dichelobacter nodosus [ 34 ], mitochondrial diversity role in the productivity of quails [ 35 ], miR-9 gene affects litter size in goats [ 36 ], mutations in porcine [ 37 ], prolactin gene and association with egg production in ducks [ 38 ], wool fibre diameter in ewes [ 39 ], lactoferrin gene affects milk content in buffaloes [ 40 ], milk traits in yaks [ 41 ], association between MyoG gene and egg quality [ 42 ].…”