Investigation of Polymorphic Variations in the Alpha-Lactalbumin Gene and their Association Analysis to Milk Characteristics in River Buffalo

Abstract

River buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is one of the most important livestock species in many poor countries because of its invaluable contributions to numerous agricultural fields. Detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exon 1 of alpha-lactalbumin (ALA) gene was the main goal of the current study. Polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) assay and sequencing analysis were applied to identify segregated SNPs in ALA gene.  Potential SNPs in ALA gene have been identified in the present study. The homozygous genotype (AA) of the ALA gene was significantly associated with fat percentage. Moreover, the heterozygous genotype (LA) revealed significant association with protein percentage, and fat yield. The results obtained in this study emphasize the necessity of screening a broader number of buffaloes distributed in varied environments to identify genetic polymorphisms and their potential correlation with milk production traits.