Investigation of polymorphism of DGAT1 gene in Iranian buffaloes

Diacylglycerol acyltransferase1 (DGAT1) is a key enzyme in synthesis of triglycerides. A transition mutation resulting substitution of guanine by adenine in DGAT1 gene and substitution of lysine by alanine in diacylglycerol-acyltransferase enzyme in cattle has a major effect on milk yield and milk composition traits. In this research, the polymorphism of the region spanning exon 3 to exon 17 of the DGAT1 gene of three indigenous Iranian buffalo populations was investigated. A total number of samples of 200 buffaloes (Khuzestani, Shomali and Azari) were collected to extract DNA and the desired fragments were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Genotyping was performed using direct sequencing and analyzed by BioEdit software. Sequence analysis showed novel SNPs in comparative to the reference sequence GenBank (DQ886485) at nucleotide positions g.6097A>G, g.7036C>T, g.7338G>A, g.7710C>T, g.8087C>T, g.8259G>A, g.8275G>A and g.8426C>T of DGAT1 gene in buffalo populations. A comparison with Indian buffalo revealed three exonic SNPs, one of which was non-synonymous. A Unique 22 base insertion has been observed in the intron 10. The results described here genetic diversity and could be useful in genetic and breeding programs in Iranian buffalo.