A Novel SNPs in Alpha-Lactalbumin Gene Effects on Lactation Traits in Chinese Holstein Dairy Cows

• Main Authors: Fan Yang, Manling Zhang, Yuewen Rong, Zaiqun Liu, Shuai Yang, Wei Zhang, Jun Li, Yafei Cai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-12-01
• Series: Animals
• Subjects: alpha-lactalbumin (α-la); pcr-sscp; chinese holstein dairy cows; snps; lactose
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/1/60

Alpha-lactalbumin (&#945;-LA) is a major whey protein in bovine and other mammalian milk, which regulates synthesis of lactose. Little is known about its genetic polymorphism and whether can be used as a potential marker for dairy ingredients, milk yield traits, and milk properties. To investigate its polymorphisms and their relationship with milk lactation traits in Chinese Holstein dairy cows, single-strand conformation polymorphism method (PCR-SSCP) and direct sequencing method were used to mark the &#945;-LA gene SNPs. AA (0.7402) and AB (0.2598) genotypes were screened out by PCR-SSCP bands analysis in two independent populations. Direct sequencing revealed that there is one SNP at 1847th (T/C) bp in noncoding region of &#945;-LA gene with highly polymorphic (0.5 &lt; PIC = 0.5623 or 0.5822), of which T is in AA genotype while C in AB. Association analysis also showed that lactose content (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05) was negatively correlated with fat and protein contents within subgroup, indicating that the SNPs (1847th, T/C) in &#945;-LA gene could be used as a novel potential molecular marker for lactation traits in Chinese Holstein dairy cows.