Polymorphisms of Calpain and Calpastatin Cascade Genes in the Beef Cattle Population

Abstract

Over the past decades, the selective breeding process has been accelerating with advances in molecular genetics and identification and analysis of genes partly associated with growth and development of organisms and specific performance traits of economic value. The objectives of the survey are to study calpain (CAPN) and calpastatin (CAST) gene polymorphisms and to analyze their associations with the production parameters in beef cattle livestock of the Kalmyk breed. Six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) including c.947C>G, g.43405930С>G, c.1800+169C>T, c.*479C>T, g.43406123G>A, and g.43422631G>A in the CAPN gene and two SNPs (с.484G>А and g.96121070G>А) in the CAST gene were identified. Three genotypes for each CAPN gene variation within polymorphisms were revealed, including genotypes CC, CG, and GG within polymorphisms c.947C>G and g.43405930С>G, genotypes CC, CT, and TT within s.1800+169C>T and s.*479C>T, and genotypes GG, GA, and AA within g.43406123G>A and g.43422631G>A. The CAST gene recognized genotypes GG, GA, and AA within polymorphisms c.484G>A and g.96121070G>A. Among the animals of the studied population, the highest frequencies of occurrence were observed in the CG, CT, and GA heterozygous genotypes for the CAPN gene within five polymorphisms c.947C>G, g.43405930С>G, c.1800+169C>T, g.43406123G>A, and g.43422631G>A, varied in the range of 42–51%. The GА heterozygous and GG homozygous genotypes for the CAST gene within polymorphisms c.484G>A and g.96121070G>A were characterized by the highest frequencies of occurrence, comprising 50 and 45%, respectively. The carriers of the CC homozygous genotype within the CAPN1 gene c.947C>G polymorphism were characterised by the highest liveweight, which was higher than that in the specimens with the CG and GG genotypes by 22.6 and 21.4%, respectively. The bull carriers of the CC and ST genotypes within the c.1800+169C>T polymorphism had greater live weight than the specimens of the TT genotype did, by 12.6 and 12.1%, respectively. In addition, it was greater in the animals of the GA heterozygous genotype within the g.43406123G>А polymorphism than that in the specimens of the GG and AA homozygous genotypes by 18.5 and 19.9%, respectively. Carriers of the GG genotype for the CAST gene within single polymorphism g.96121070G>A had greater liveweight than the animals of the GA and AA variants did by 6.73 and 5.3%, respectively.