GENETIC POLYMORPHISM STUDY OF IGF-I GENE IN BUFFALOES OF GUJARAT

The IGF plays an important role in lactation. Polymorphs of IGF gene are reported to be significantly associated with milk production and constituent traits. This study was undertaken to detect polymorphism at the genetic level and to explore allelic variability at this locus. A total of 150 animals, belonging to three breeds of riverine buffalo, viz. Mehsani, Surti and Jaffarabadi, were scanned. A 265 bp segment of gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and subsequently, subjected to single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) to identify different allelic patterns. All the three breeds exhibited three different SSCP patterns, but the sequence analysis could not confirm polymorphism. However, the sequence showed variation at three positions (at 89C/T, 98G/T and 167T/C) when compared with reference sequence. The study will augment the information and will be useful in further studies to determine the role of IGF in the regulation of milk synthesis and improvement of quality and quantity of milk in riverine buffaloes.