Identification of yak lactate dehydrogenase B gene variants by gene cloning

Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that two types of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) existed in yaks. Based on the electrophoresis characteristics of LDH isoenzymes, yak LDH variants were speculated to be the gene mutation on H subunit encoded by B gene. According to the mobility in electrophoresis, the fast-band LDH type was named LDH-Hf and the slow-band LDH type LDH-Hs. In order to reveal the gene alteration in yak LDH variants, total RNA was extracted from heart tissues of yaks with different LDH variants, and cDNAs of the two variants were reverse transcripted. Two variants of B genes were cloned by RT-PCR. Sequence analysis revealed that four nucleotides differed between LDH-Bf and LDH-Bs, which resulted in two amino acids alteration. By Deepview software analysis of the conformation of yak LDH1 variants and H subunit, these four nucleotides altered two amino acids that generated new hydrogen bonds to change the hydrogen bonds network, and further caused subtle conformational changes between the two LDH variants.