부산대학교 도서관

AbstractThe water buffalo is a fundamental resource, especially in developing countries, however, differently from other species, its genetic potential is still poorly investigated. In this work, we performed a candidate gene association study for milk composition in 491 female buffaloes. Animals were from four farms located in Southern Italy, where the Out-of-Breeding-Season-Mating technique is usually performed. We analysed three genes: (1) the signal transducer and activator of transcription 5A (STAT5A), (2) the tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and (3) the melatonin receptor 1A (MTNR1A). We confirmed the mutation at the MTNR1Agene and we found five novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): one in the TNFαand four in the STAT5A. No associations were found for the SNPs in the MTNR1Aand TNFαgenes, while we identified a marked association with milk protein % for a C > T substitution at the STAT5Agene. At this locus, the TT buffaloes showed significantly higher protein percentage in milk. Conversely, this genotype class was the less frequent in the population. Moreover, an A > G substitution at the STAT5Ashowed an influence on reproductive seasonality, with the advantageous allele most frequent in the population, suggesting a possible effect of selection for this trait. The C > T substitution on STAT5Adetected in present study could be used in marker assisted selection of Mediterranean Italian buffalo, and should be monitored to understand the reasons behind the low frequency of the favourable genotype at this locusand to stop this unfavourable trend in the population.