An Exhaustive Structural Scrutiny and Initial Functional Appraisal of the Yak SLC11A1 Gene

Abstract

Animal diseases pose significant impediments to the flourishing of the animal husbandry sector, due to the role of solute transport protein family 11A1 (SLC11A1) gene on resistance or susceptibility to bacterial infections, rendering it a promising candidate gene for breeding disease-resistant animals. Here, we successfully cloned the coding region of the yak SLC11A1 gene. Comparative analysis against wild yaks and yellow cattle revealed the presence of 3 and 13 base variations, respectively. The N-terminal segment of the yak SLC11A1 gene’s coding region was expressed in a prokaryotic system, the protein exhibited inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli, a pathogen responsible for calf diarrhea. Furthermore, we successfully amplified a gene sequence encompassing a total length of 10 306 bp, and revealing the presence of 15 exons and 14 introns. Within the entire sequence, 14 SNPs were detected, and gave rise to 13 haplotypes. Furthermore, comparative analysis against cattle sequences (KR002419) unveiled two deletion sites, namely g.4511delACCCCACC and g.6410delCAGGT. This comprehensive examination provides insight into the structural attributes of both the coding region and the entire gene sequence, alongside an initial functional evaluation. It lays the foundation for the prospective utilization of the yak SLC11A1 gene as a molecular marker for disease resistance traits.