Melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene polymorphisms in three Italian cattle breeds
Anna Maria Guastella A , Silvia Sorbolini B , Antonio Zuccaro A , Elia Pintus B , Salvatore Bordonaro A , Donata Marletta A C and Nicolò Pietro Paolo Macciotta BA DISPA Sezione di Scienze delle Produzioni Animali, Università degli Studi di Catania, via Valdisavoia, 5. 95123 Catania, Italy.
B Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche, Università degli Studi di Sassari, via De Nicola, 9. 07100 Sassari, Italy.
C Corresponding author. Email: d.marletta@unict.it
Animal Production Science 51(11) 1039-1043 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN11070
Submitted: 3 May 2011 Accepted: 8 September 2011 Published: 21 October 2011
Abstract
The Melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) is one of the main genes implicated in the determination of the coat colour in mammals. This locus showed a relevant genetic variation between breeds that can be exploited for breed traceability of the animal productions. Modicana, Cinisara and Sardo-Modicana are three Italian endangered cattle breeds. Genetic characterisation by molecular markers is a fundamental prerequisite for managing genetic resources and for developing potential genetic traceability protocols. In order to improve the knowledge on Modicana, Cinisara and Sardo-Modicana breeds and to evaluate the possibility to develop DNA-based protocols for their mono-breeds products traceability, the genetic structure of MC1R gene was analysed. Four main alleles were observed in a representative sample of 162 animals. In the black coated Cinisara breed (n = 42), the ED and E+ alleles segregated with a frequency of 0.93 for ED allele. In the red coated Modicana (n = 60) and Sardo-Modicana (n = 60) breeds the E+ and E1 alleles segregated with frequencies of 0.42, 0.57 and 0.52, 0.47, respectively. The recessive allele e showed a low frequency (0.01) in both breeds. Sequencing a subsample of 34 animals the rare E2 allele was found only in Modicana and Sardo-Modicana at a good frequency (0.50). A new PCR-RFLP test, based on BstOI restriction endonuclease, was devised to assay for this allele. Results of the work indicate that red coat in Modicana and Sardo-Modicana cattle is genetically determined by the E+ and E1 alleles instead of the e allele at homozygote status, as occurs in other red European breeds. In these three Italian breeds of local importance, MC1R polymorphisms can be used to discriminate Cinisara from Modicana and Sardo-Modicana, but it was not able to distinguish between the two red coat populations.
Additional keywords: breed traceability, Cinisara, coat colour gene, genetic diversity, Modicana, Sardo-Modicana.
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