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Polymorphisms in bovine immune genes and their associations with somatic cell count and milk production in dairy cattle
Beecher, Christine Daly, Mairead Childs, Stuart Berry, Donagh Magee, David A McCarthy, Tommie V Giblin, Linda
Beecher, Christine
Daly, Mairead
Childs, Stuart
Berry, Donagh
Magee, David A
McCarthy, Tommie V
Giblin, Linda
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05/11/2010
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1471-2156-11-99.pdf
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Beecher, Christine et al. Polymorphisms in bovine immune genes and their associations with somatic cell count and milk production in dairy cattle. BMC Genetics, 2010, 11(1):99. DOI:10.1186/1471-2156-11-99
Abstract
Background: Mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary gland, is a major source of economic loss on dairy farms. The aim of this study was to quantify the associations between two previously identified polymorphisms in the bovine toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and chemokine receptor 1 (CXCR1) genes and mammary health indictor traits in (a) 246 lactating dairy cow contemporaries representing five breeds from one research farm and (b) 848 Holstein-Friesian bulls that represent a large proportion of the Irish dairy germplasm. To expand the study, a further 14 polymorphisms in immune genes were included for association studies in the bull population. Results: TLR4-2021 associated (P < 0.05) with both milk protein and fat percentage in late lactation (P < 0.01) within the cow cohort. No association was observed between this polymorphism and either yield or composition of milk within the bull population. CXCR1-777 significantly associated (P < 0.05) with fat yield in the bull population and tended to associate (P < 0.1) with somatic cell score (SCS) in the cows genotyped. CD14-1908 A allele was found to associate with increased (P < 0.05) milk fat and protein yield and also tended to associate with increased (P < 0.1) milk yield. A SERPINA1 haplotype with superior genetic merit for milk protein yield and milk fat percentage (P < 0.05) was also identified. Conclusion: Of the sixteen polymorphisms in seven immune genes genotyped, just CXCR1-777 tended to associate with SCS, albeit only in the on-farm study. The lack of an association between the polymorphisms with SCS in the Holstein-Friesian data set would question the potential importance of these variants in selection for improved mastitis resistance in the Holstein-Friesian cow.