Single nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of the lactoferrin gene and its associations with milk performance traits in Polish Holstein-Friesian cows

Bovine lactoferrin (LTF) is a multifunctional small glycoprotein found in milk acting mainly as a defense factor in the mammary gland. Many polymorphisms have been found in the bovine LTF gene but almost none were considered as genetic markers of production traits in dairy cattle. In this study, the promoter fragment of LTF gene containing mutation (G/C) in position +32 has been amplified by PCR followed by genotyping by the SSCP and RFLP method. Three hundred fifty-eight Polish Holstein-Friesian cows were screened, giving the following frequency of genotypes: 0.628, 0.313 and 0.059 for GG, GC and CC, respectively. GLM (General Linear Model) analysis was applied to evaluate the associations of lactoferrin with milk performance traits, including SCC (somatic cell count). It was found that CC cows show significantly higher (P ≤ 0.01) protein content in milk in comparison with GG cows. The values of other milk performance traits were also higher but at nonsignificant levels. SCC in milk was the lowest in CC cows, but also at a nonsignificant level. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Genetic parameters for milk urea concentration and milk traits in Polish Holstein-Friesian cows

Milk urea concentration (MU) used by dairy producers for management purposes can be affected by selection for milk traits. To assess this problem, genetic parameters for MU in Polish Holstein-Friesian cattle were estimated for the first three lactations. The genetic correlation of MU with milk production traits, lactose percentage, fat to protein ratio (FPR) and somatic cell score (SCS) were computed with two 5-trait random regression test-day models, separately for each lactation. Data used for estimation (159,044 daily observations) came from 50 randomly sampled herds. (Co)variance components were estimated with the Bayesian Gibbs sampling method. The coefficient of variation for MU in all three parities was high (40–41 %). Average daily heritabilities of MU were 0.22 for the first parity and 0.21 for the second and third lactations. Average genetic correlations for different days in milk in the first three lactations between MU and other traits varied. They were small and negative for protein percentage (from ?0.24 to ?0.11) and for SCS (from ?0.14 to ?0.09). The weakest genetic correlation between MU and fat percentage, and between MU and lactose percentage were observed (from ?0.10 to 0.10). Negative average genetic correlation with the fat to protein ratio was observed only in the first lactation (?0.14). Genetic correlations with yield traits were positive and ranged from low to moderate for protein (from 0.09 to 0.33), fat (from 0.16 to 0.35) and milk yield (from 0.20 to 0.42). These results suggest that the selection on yield traits and SCS tends to increase MU slightly.     

奶牛乳铁蛋白基因5’侧翼区遗传多态性及其与乳腺炎关联性分析

牛乳铁蛋白(Lactoferrin,LF)是保护乳腺组织的防御因子之一,是具有多种功能的糖蛋白,关于牛LF基因的多态性研究的报道较多,但其多态性与奶牛乳腺炎相关性的研究较少,文章采用PCR-RFLP、CRS-PCR对268头中国荷斯坦牛LF基因启动子区的-926(G/A)、-915(T/G)、-478(/G)、+72(T/C)突变进行基因型分型,应用最小二乘线性模型分析LF基因多态性与体细胞评分(Somatic cell score,SCS)的相关性,结果表明,新发现+72(T/C)和-478(/G)对SCS有显著影响,而其他两个位点对SCS影响不显著(P>0.05),+72(T/C)的AB基因型是优良基因型,其个体的SCS值均显著低于AA型(P<0.01),BB型个体(P<0.05).-478(/G)位点的C等位基因是优良的等位基因,CC基因型个体的SCS值极显著低于CD、DD基因型个体(P<0.01).因此,LF基因+72(T/C)的AB基因型和-478(/G)位点的CC基因型均是奶牛乳腺炎抗性的优良基因型,可作为分子标记应用于奶牛乳腺炎抗性筛选.     

Nucleotide sequence polymorphism within exon 4 of the bovine prolactin gene and its associations with milk performance traits

Prolactin plays an important regulatory function in mammary gland development, milk secretion, and expression of milk protein genes. Hence the PRL gene is a potential quantitative trait locus and genetic marker of production traits in dairy cattle. We analysed the sequence of the PRL gene to investigate whether mutations in this sequence might be responsible for quantitative variations in milk yield and composition. Using SSCP and direct sequencing, we detected six single-nucleotide polymorphisms within a 294-bp prolactin gene fragment involving exon 4. All detected mutations were silent with respect to the amino acid sequence of the protein. PCR-RFLP genotyping of SNP 8398 R (RsaI) was used to assess allele frequencies in 186 Black-and-White cows (0.113 and 0.887 for A and G, respectively) and in 138 Jersey cows (0.706 and 0.294 for A and G, respectively). Black-and-White cows with genotype AG showed the highest milk yield, while cows with genotype GG showed the highest fat content.     

A novel polymorphism of the lactoferrin gene and its association with milk composition and body traits in dairy goats

Milk composition and body measurement traits, influenced by genes and environmental factors, play important roles in value assessments of efficiency and productivity in dairy goats. Lactoferrin (LF), involved in the efficient expression of protein in milk, is also an anabolic factor in skeletal tissue and a potent osteoblast survival factor. Therefore, it is an important candidate gene for milk composition and body measurement trait selection in marker-assisted selection. We employed PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing to screen the genetic variations of the LF gene in 549 Chinese dairy goats. A novel single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (G198A in exon II) of the LF gene was detected. The frequencies of the AA genotype were 0.0285 and 0.0261 in GZ and SN populations, respectively. Both populations were found to have low levels of polymorphism and were in Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium (P < 0.05). We found significant (P < 0.05) associations of the SNP marker with milk protein and acidity in the total population; animals with the AA genotype had higher mean values for milk protein than those with the GA genotype. Animals with genotype AA had higher mean values for withers height than those with genotype GG (P < 0.05). We concluded that this SNP of the LF gene has potential as a genetic marker for milk composition and body traits in dairy goat breeding.     

A novel single-nucleotide polymorphism of thevisfatin gene and its associations with performance traits in the chicken

Visfatin is a peptide that is predominantly expressed in visceral adipose tissue and is hypothesized to be related to obesity and insulin resistance. In this study, a novel silent single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was found in exon 7 of the chickenvisfatin gene (also known asPBEF1) by single-stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and DNA sequencing. In total, 836 chickens forming an F₂ resource population of Gushi chicken crossed with Anka broiler were genotyped by XbaI forced RFLP, and the associations of this polymorphism with chicken growth, carcass characteristics, and meat quality were analyzed. Significant associations were found between the polymorphism and 4-week body weight (BW4), 6-week body weight (BW6), 4-week body slanting length (BSL4), fat bandwidth (FBW), breast muscle water loss rate (BWLR) and breast muscle fiber density (BFD) (P < 0.05), as well as 4-week breastbone length (BBL4) (P < 0.01). These observations suggested that the polymorphism in exon7 of thevisfatin gene had significant effects on the early growth traits of chicken.     

中国荷斯坦牛IL8基因遗传多态性与泌乳性状以及体细胞评分的关联

以上海某奶牛场30个公牛家系的610头中国荷斯坦牛为试验材料,采用聚合酶链式反应-单链构象多态性(PCR-SSCP)技术对Interleukin-8(IL8)基因的遗传多态性进行了分析,采用混合动物模型分析了IL8基因突变位点与测定日产奶量、测定日乳脂率、测定日乳蛋白率、305d校正产奶量、305d乳脂量、305d乳蛋白量及测定日体细胞评分7个性状的相关性,寻找可用于生产实际的分子标记。共检测到KK、KA和AA3种基因型,频率分别为0.187、0.451和0.362,等位基因K和A的频率分别为0.412和0.588。该位点突变对测定日产奶量、305d乳蛋白量、305d校正产奶量和305d乳脂量以及体细胞评分影响达到极显著水平(P0.01),对测定日乳蛋白率的影响达到显著水平(P0.05),对测定日乳脂率影响不显著(P0.05)。多重比较表明:KK基因型对测定日产奶量、305d校正产奶量、305d乳蛋白量和305d乳脂量极显著高于AA和KA基因型(P0.01)。KK基因型的体细胞评分(SCS)最小二乘均值极显著低于KA、AA基因型(P0.01)。对于测定日的乳蛋白率AA基因型显著低于KA、KK型(P0.05)。IL8基因遗传突变对中国荷斯坦牛泌乳性状和乳房炎抗性有较大的遗传效应,可用于中国荷斯坦牛的分子标记辅助选择。     

Association of genetic polymorphism inGH gene with milk production traits in Beijing Holstein cows

Associations were analysed between polymorphisms of the growth hormone gene (GH-MspI) (localized in intron 3) and milk production traits of Beijing Holstein cows (a total of 543 cows). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method was used for identification of various geno-types. Frequencies of genotypes were 0.77, 0,21 and 0.02 for A/A, A/B and B/B, respectively. The frequency of theGH ^A allele is 0.875. The results of the least squares means show that in all three lactations, theGH A/A cows yielded more milk (P < 0.01 for lactation I andP 0.05 for lactations II and III), whereas A/B cows showed higher milk fat content than A/A individuals (P < 0.05 for lactations I and II, andP < 0.01 for lactation III). The A/A cows yielded more fat than A/B individuals (P < 0.01 only in lactation I). The A/A cows yielded more milk protein than A/B individuals (P < 0.01 for lactations I, II, and III). The A/A cows produced milk of higher protein content than of A/B individuals (P < 0.05 only in lactation II).     

Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis on chicken extracelluar fatty acid binding protein gene and its associations with fattiness trait

Fattiness is an important parameter to estimate meat quality, which has high heritability. In this experiment, F2 chickens derived from Broilers crossing to Silky were used to study the effect of extracellular fatty acid binding protein (EX-FABP) gene on abdominal fat accumulation. 1.6 kb of the 5' region of the gene was amplified by six pairs of primers, and then single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected by the technique of single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and then confirmed by sequencing. There were four nucleotides variations found, A-G at -1807, C-A at -1805, T-C at -1011 and a C insertion at -1000 respectively. The result of least square analysis suggests that the birds with BB genotype defined by the second pair of primer have a higher abdominal fat weight and abdominal fat percentage than the birds with the other genotypes (AA and AB). It implied that EX-FABP gene could be a candidate locus or linked to a major gene to significantly affect abdominal fat traits in chicken.     

Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis on chicken extracelluar fatty acid binding protein gene and its associations with fattiness trait

Fattiness is an important parameter to estimate meat quality, which has high heritability. In this experiment, F₂ chickens derived from Broilers crossing to Silky were used to study the effect of extracellular fatty acid binding protein (EX-FABP) gene on abdominal fat accumulation. 1.6 kb of the 5′ region of the gene was amplified by six pairs of primers, and then single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected by the technique of single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and then confirmed by sequencing. There were four nucleotides variations found, A-G at-1807, C-A at -1805, T-C at -1011 and a C insertion at -1000 respectively. The result of least square analysis suggests that the birds with BB genotype defined by the second pair of primer have a higher abdominal fat weight and abdominal fat percentage than the birds with the other genotypes (AA and AB). It implied that EX-FABP gene could be a candidate locus or linked to a major gene to significantly affect abdominal fat traits in chicken.     

Single nucleotide polymorphism of CACNA2D1 gene and its association with milk somatic cell score in cattle

The objective of the present study was to identify polymorphisms of the CACNA2D1 gene, and to analyze associations between these polymorphisms and mastitis in several cattle breeds. Through PCR-RFLP methods and DNA sequencing, an allelic variant corresponding to the A→G mutations and Aspartic (Asp) to Glycine (Gly) amino acid replacement at positions 526745 in the exon 25 of bovine CACNA2D1 gene could be detected. Two alleles, A and G, and three genotypes, AA, AG and GG were defined. Genetic character in the studied populations indicated that the A526745G loci of CACNA2D1 gene was moderate polymorphism and fitted with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P > 0.05). The effects of CACNA2D1 polymorphisms on somatic cell score (SCS) were analyzed and significant association was found between A526745G and SCS. The mean of genotype GG was significantly lower than those of genotype AG and AA (P = 0.0469). Information provided in this research could be useful in further studies to determine the role of CACNA2D1 gene in the mastitis resistance.     

Single nucleotide polymorphisms,haplotypes and combined genotypes of lactoferrin gene and their associations with mastitis in Chinese Holstein cattle

Lactoferrin (Lf) is naturally produced by the mammary gland, having biological functions of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities. To investigate whether the Lf gene is associated with mastitis in dairy cattle, a DNA sequencing approach was used to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene. Three previously reported SNPs in the 5′ flanking region and one novel SNP in exon1 of Lf gene were identified. A total of 353 individuals from Holstein cattle populations were genotyped for their SNPs using Created Restriction Site PCR (CRS-PCR) and PCR-RFLP methods. Twenty-two and nineteen combinations of three SNPs (g.3440T>G, g.3879_3880insG, and g.4432T>C) and another three SNPs (g.3429G>A, g.3440T>G, g.3879_3880insG) were observed, respectively. The result of haplotype analysis of four SNPs showed that fourteen different haplotypes were identified. Two major haplotypes (GECB and GECA) occurred with a frequency of 22.5 and 18.5% in the study population, respectively. Statistical analyses revealed no significant association between one single SNP of Lf gene and SCS, whereas significant associations between their combined genotypes of three SNPs, haplotype and SCS. Combined genotype EFCDBB and GGEFDD with the lowest SCS were favorable for the mastitis resistance. They may be used as a possible candidate for marker-assisted selection in dairy cattle breeding program.     

FABP3, FABP4 and ANXA9 SNP genotypes in relation to breeding values for milk production traits in Polish Holstein-Friesian cows

The aim of this study is to estimate the associations between the ANXA9, FABP3, and FABP4 genotypes and the breeding value for milk production traits (yields of milk, protein, and fat, as well as protein and fat percentage) in 975 Polish Holstein-Friesian cows. The frequencies of genotypes and alleles were determined. Statistically significant relations between the ANXA9 SNP and the breeding value for fat content, as well as the FABP4 SNP and the breeding value for protein content were found. The results indicated that selection for the ANXA9 GG and FABP4 GG animals might contribute to an decreased fat content and increased protein content in milk, respectively, in Polish Holstein-Friesian cows. Although verification in the further studies is needed.     

Two novel SNPs of the ABCG2 gene and its associations with milk traits in Chinese Holsteins

The ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCG2 (also known as breast cancer resistance protein, BCRP) belongs to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family of transmembrane drug transporters, playing a crucial role in the protection of various cells and tissues against xenotoxins and/or endotoxins. Recently, several studies have proposed it as the potential gene underlying the QTL on bovine chromosome 6. Hence, in this study, the PCR-SSCP method was applied to detect two polymorphisms (A → C and A → G) in the target sequence coding nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) region of ABCG2 and evaluate its associations with milk production traits and mastitis-related traits among Chinese Holsteins. In the analyzed population, the allelic frequencies for the A and B alleles were 0.5990 and 0.4010, respectively and the genotypic frequencies were in Hardy–Weinberg disequilibrium (P < 0.01). Moreover, significant statistical relationships between the polymorphisms of ABCG2 gene and following traits, including milk yields, milk protein percentage and somatic cell scores (SCS), were found (P < 0.05). When compared with AA genotype, BB genotype was associated with higher milk yields during 1st and 2nd lactations, as well as lower milk protein percentage and SCS. Thus, BB genotype is suggested to be a molecular marker for superior milk performance.     

AGHR polymorphism and its associations with carcass traits in Harrwoo cattle

The growth hormone receptor (GHR) is a membrane transmitter for the growth hormone signal transduction pathway that regulates various metabolic activities, including cell growth and expressions of cytokine genes. The presence or absence of a genetic polymorphism for the LINE-1 retroposon in the PI promoter, which specifically regulates theGHR gene expression in the liver, was screened by a novel detection method and examined for its relationships with carcass traits in Hanwoo cattle. Han woo cattle had taurine type LINE-1 present (alleleI) as well as incidine type LINE-1 absent (alleleA) promoter sequences. Three genotypes,I/I, I/A andA/A, showed frequencies of 49.1, 36.7 and 14.2%, respectively. The effects of allele A were significant on mean differences for final weight, eye muscle area, marbling score and fat color (p<0.05), but not for carcass weight, backfat thickness, final meat quality grade or meat color (p>0.05). Most 30-month old Hanwoo steers bearing the LINE-1 absent promoter had whiter fat color, heavier live weight and higher marbling score, reflecting intramuscular fat deposition inM. longissimus dorsi, compared to animals bearing a LINE-1 present promoter. This suggests that aGHR polymorphism could be a potential genetic marker for improving beef production of Hanwoo cattle.     

Single nucleotide polymorphism rs1800872 in the promoter region of the IL10 gene is associated with predisposition to chronic hepatitis C in Russian population

Previously, we studied an association of two IL28B gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and three IL10 gene SNPs with predisposition to tick-borne encephalitis in a Russian population. In this study, a possible involvement of these SNPs in the development of predisposition to chronic hepatitis C (caused by structurally similar, related virus from the Flaviviridae family) was investigated in the same population. Only the IL10 promoter rs1800872 SNP was associated with predisposition to chronic hepatitis C. This SNP seems to be a common genetic marker of predisposition to two diseases caused by hepatitis C and tick-borne encephalitis viruses in Russian population.     

Four novel single nucleotide polymorphisms within the promoter region of p53 gene and their associations with uterine leiomyoma

Dysregulated p53 expression has been implicated as a major contributor to numerous tumorigenesis. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the functional consequence of the novel p53 promoter region remains obscure. Herein, we aimed to establish the extent of genetic variability within the promoter region of p53 gene as well as their association with leiomyoma susceptibility. Women were divided into two groups, leiomyoma (n = 160) and nonleiomyoma controls (n = 200). Total DNA was isolated from the peripheral blood of subjects. The DNA fragment containing p53 promoter regions (+64 approximately -404 bp) were obtained by amplification of polymerase chain reaction. The variations of DNA fragments were detected by DNA sequencing or restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Sequence alignment was used to identify sequence variations in p53 promoter regions. Genotypes were analyzed by method of RFLP. Genotypes/allelic frequencies in the leiomyoma and control groups were compared. A total of 15 sequence variations within p53 promoter region were identified, including -408 T/C, -382 A/G, -359 A/G, -325 T/C, -250 A/G, -216 T/C, -205 G/A, -198 G/A, -177 T/C, -103 A/G, -81 G/A, -71 G/A, -51 T/A, -33 A/G, and -17 T/C. Among these variations, four SNPs (-250 A/G, -216 T/C, -103 A/G, and -33 A/G) were established. Allele frequencies of -250*G/-216*C/-103*G/-33*G in the leiomyoma group and control group 6.9/5.0/5.9/3.8% and 3.8/1.8/2.3/4.0%, respectively. Two of them (-216*C and -103*G) are associated with higher leiomyoma susceptibility. We concluded that some sequence variations were observed within the promoter region of p53 gene. The SNPs of -216*C and -103*G among the identical sequence variations are associated with leiomyoma development.     

Single nucleotide polymorphisms within the promoter region of the rhesus monkey tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene

The human TNF-alpha gene is characterized by several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in its promoter region, in part having been shown to influence TNF-alpha expression and susceptibility to various diseases. The rhesus macaque is widely used as an animal model for a variety of TNF-alpha associated pathological conditions, but little is known about genetic variation within the TNF-alpha promoter region. In order to check for such polymorphisms, primers based on rhesus sequence within 5 UTR were designed and used to amplify a 1 kb product from genomic DNA of 29 animals. Sequencing and cloning revealed a total of 11 polymorphisms leading to five different haplotypes.     

Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis and functional characterization of the human Ah receptor (AhR) gene promoter

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) mediates biological and toxicological actions of e.g., halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. Although much is known about the biochemical and molecular mechanisms of AhR action, little is known about the control of the expression of the AhR gene itself. Therefore, we aimed at the identification and characterization of regions important for constitutive AhR gene expression. First, we screened 2.6 kb of the 5(')-flanking region of the AhR gene in 91 healthy Caucasian volunteers for naturally occurring genetic variants. Seven variants were detected. However, they do not seem to influence AhR gene expression in lymphocytes. Using a 2.7 kb AhR promoter luciferase reporter gene construct and various deletion constructs, a putative regulatory region was identified and characterized further by electrophoretic mobility shift assays and site-directed mutagenesis. These investigations were confirmed by cotransfection experiments in Drosophila SL2 cells. The obtained results prove an involvement of Sp1 in AhR gene regulation.