article · Animals
Dairy cattle breeding often relies on genetic markers to improve milk yield and composition, but equivalent data for Egyptian water buffaloes has remained scarce. An investigation into four hundred Egyptian water buffaloes examined variations within exons three and ten of the prolactin receptor gene, assessing their links to milk performance and gene expression. The analysis identified two single nucleotide polymorphisms in exon ten, forming four distinct haplotypes. Buffaloes carrying the ancestral GT haplotype demonstrated significantly higher milk yield, elevated fat and protein percentages, and increased levels of prolactin and prolactin receptor mRNA and protein in milk somatic cells. Conversely, animals with the mutant AC haplotype exhibited inferior milk performance and reduced expression levels. Selecting buffaloes carrying the GT haplotype offers a viable genetic approach to enhancing milk production and quality traits across herds.
Water buffaloes are vital contributors to dairy production, yet genetic selection tools for these animals lag behind those used in dairy cattle. Identifying specific gene variants linked to superior milk output and composition provides livestock managers with precise molecular targets. This knowledge helps breeders select high-performing animals more effectively, potentially raising herd productivity and milk quality.
This research could enable marker-assisted selection programmes for livestock breeders and dairy producers working with Egyptian water buffaloes. By screening for the beneficial GT haplotype, breeding operations could selectively propagate animals with higher milk yields and better milk composition. The approach represents an applied, tested genetic finding within the studied population, though practical commercial deployment would require integration into routine herd genotyping and breeding services.
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Prolactin (PRL) and its receptor (PRLR) were considered as potential genetic markers for milk production and quality traits in cattle. However, little information is available regarding <i>PRLR</i> genetic diversity and association studies with milk traits in Egyptian water buffaloes. Therefore, the present study was conducted to search for mutations in <i>PRLR</i> and determine their associations with milk performance in these animals. Exon3 (E3) and E10 of <i>PRLR</i> were screened for polymorphisms using single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and sequencing in 400 buffaloes. The associations between haplotypes and milk production (fat%, protein%, lactose%, and solid%) traits as well as mRNA and protein levels of PRL and PRLR were studied. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in E10 were detected: g.11685G>A (p.Ala494Thr) and g.11773T>C (p.Val523Aal). The G and T alleles were wild (ancestral) alleles, while the A and C alleles were mutant alleles. These SNPs resulted in four haplotypes; AC, AT, GC, and GT. Buffaloes with wild GT haplotypes showed significantly higher milk yield, fat% and protein%, mRNA and protein levels of PRL and PRLR in milk somatic cells than other animals. Animals carrying mutant AC haplotype had inferior milk traits and lowest levels of associated mRNAs and proteins. With these results, we could conclude that the selection of buffaloes with wild GT haplotypes for g.11685G>A and g.11773T>C SNPs of the <i>PRLR</i> gene might improve the milk production traits of Egyptian water buffaloes.
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DOI: 10.3390/ani11051237
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