Paep Gene Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism and Its Effects on Milk Composition in Cross-Bred Hamdani Sheep

Abstract

Β-lactoglobulin (βLG) stands as the primary whey protein in ruminant milk, synthesized by mammary gland cells during lactation and encoded by the βLG gene. This study aimed to assess the impact of βLG gene exon II polymorphism on milk composition traits in crossbreed Hamdani sheep. Sheep were examined for clinical diseases and mastitis. Milk and blood samples were only collected from healthy ewes. The composition and physical properties of milk were analyzed using milk autoanalyzer. The βLG gene exon II region's 452 bp PCR products were subjected to RFLP analysis using the RsaI restriction enzyme. Two genotypes, AA and AB, were identified for the βLG gene exon II region, with A and B allele frequencies of 0.7 and 0.3, respectively. Statistical analysis, conducted with Minitab® (Version: 19.2020.2.0), revealed that the AA genotype is associated with a higher milk fat percentage p<0.05). However, no significant genotype effect was observed for other milk composition traits in cross-bred Hamdani sheep. These results suggest that PAEP genotypes could serve as valuable indicators for enhancing milk composition in cross-bred Hamdani sheep through breeding programs.