Study of Kappa Casein gene of local and Holstein dairy cattle in Kerman province using PCR-RFLP method

Genetic polymorphism of kappa casein gene of local and Holstein dairy cattle in Kerman province was studied, using Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results on genetic diversity at the kappa casein locus are firstly reported for the local and Holstein dairy cattle in Kerman, based on DNA analysis of blood samples from 100 animals. Estimated gene frequencies were 0.70 and 0.30 for the A and B alleles, respectively, with an average heterozygosity of 0.43 in local cattle and were 0.75 and 0.25 for the A and B alleles, respectively, with an average heterozygosity of 0.36 in Holstein cattle. Shannon’s and Nei’s indexes were also 0.63 and 0.44 for local caws and 0.56 and 0.37 for Holstein cattle respectively. Based on information at this locus, no evidence was found of disequilibrium in the populations. Comparison with allele frequencies in other cattle breeds indicates that frequencies in these animals are within the range of published results for Bos taurus and Bos indicus breeds. Local and Holstein dairy cattle in Kerman show a high degree of genetic variability for the kappa casein locus, with a frequency of the B allele of 0.30 and 0.25 respectively. Therefore, next studies on these animals, specially on local cattle should aim to determine crucial relationship between kappa casein genotypes and maternal characteristics, as selection could be enhanced by the inclusion of genetic markers in selection decisions.