IGF2/Mboll polymorphism in Gir and Nelore cattle

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Animal Breeding
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• The imprinted gene insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) plays a crucial role in mammalian development.
• IGF2 is located on bovine chromosome 29 and is vital for embryonic and fetal growth stages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence of a specific polymorphism (C/T transversion) in exon 6 of the IGF2 gene.
• To analyze this polymorphism in Gir and Nelore cattle, two economically significant Zebu breeds in Brazil.

Main Methods:

• Amplification of a 193 bp fragment of bovine IGF2 exon 6 using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).
• Digestion of the amplified fragment with the MboII enzyme to identify the polymorphic site.

Main Results:

• The study detected the IGF2 gene polymorphism in both Gir and Nelore cattle populations.
• Allele frequencies for C and T were approximately 0.42/0.58 in Gir and 0.43/0.57 in Nelore, respectively.
• Genotypic frequencies varied between the two breeds, with CT being the most common genotype in Gir (0.64) and TT in Nelore (0.32).

Conclusions:

• This is the first report of this IGF2 gene polymorphism in Gir and Nelore cattle.
• The identified polymorphic site may have functional significance in IGF2 gene regulation.
• This polymorphism can be a valuable tool for studying allele-specific expression, epigenetic status, and the gene's role in cattle development and productivity traits.