Polymorphism of 5'-region of the bovine growth hormone receptor gene.

Genes coding for growth hormone (GH) and GH receptor (GHR) are candidates for quantitative trait markers in farm animals. This work describes a search for nucleotide sequence polymorphisms within the 5'-region of the bovine GHR gene. Two new single nucleotide polymorphisms were found: restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) at a Fnu4HI/TseI site (C/T transition at position -1104), and at a Sau96I site (C/T transition at position -262). The Fnu4HI/TseI polymorphic site is located within the 1.2-kbp LINE-1 retrotransposon upstream of the P1 promoter, while the Sau96I RFLP locates in the P1 promoter for exon 1A. The appearance of the Sau96I RFLP was studied in representatives of two bovine species, Bos taurus and Bos indicus. An absolute correlation was observed between Sau96I genotype and the insertion/deletion of LINE-1.