ALPHA-LACTALBUMIN GENOTYPES IDENTIFICATION IN ROMANIAN BLACK SPOTTED CATTLE BREED
Keywords:
alpha-lactalbumin, genetic polymorphism, PCR, RFLP, cattle breedAbstract
Alpha-lactalbumin (α-La) is a major milk protein essential for the biosynthesis of
lactose at the level of mammary glands. α-La directly influences the quality and the
volume of the milk since it is directly involved in the lactose synthesis (Ashwell et al.,
1997). The PCR-RFLP test was performed to distinguish the different alleles in a
population of Romanian Black Spotted cattle, a dairy breed. Genetic polymorphism
was detected by digestion with the endonuclease MnlI, followed by electrophoresis
in high resolution agarose gel stained with ethidium bromide. Sixty DNA samples
from Romanian Black Spotted breed were analyzed for A and B variants. The PCRRFLP test makes feasible the inclusion of α-La genotypes in breeding plans and
cattle selection.
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