Ovarian expression, polymorphism identification and association of SIRT3 gene with reproduction traits in goats.

The NAD+-dependent protein deacetylase, Sirtuin3 (SIRT3), plays a role in fertility by preventing the activation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). A novel study was conducted on caprine SIRT3, to study its ovarian expression, explore the sequence variability in exon 7 and analyze its association with prolificacy in two native goat breeds of Kerala, Malabari and Attappady Black. The mRNA isolated from ovaries of six Malabari and Attappady Black goats were subjected to quantitative PCR (qPCR) using GAPDH and ß-actin as reference genes. Genomic DNA was isolated from 185 goats (99 Malabari and 86 Attappady Black) and subjected to PCR-SSCP to identify polymorphism in exon 7 of SIRT3 and association with litter size was analyzed. The ovarian expression of caprine SIRT3 was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.01) in Malabari than low prolific Attappady Black. PCR-SSCP analysis revealed, exon 7 of SIRT3 was polymorphic with three genotypes namely, AA, AB and BB with a novel SNP, g.154C > T in the 3'UTR. A significant association (p ≤ 0.05) was noticed between the genotypes of SIRT3 and litter size. The results obtained from this study highlight the role of SIRT3 in reproduction and hence SIRT3 may be considered as a potential candidate gene for genetic improvement in goats.

Evaluation of Genetic Diversity, Population Structure, and Relationship Between Legendary Vechur Cattle and Crossbred Cattle of Kerala State, India.

The legendary Vechur cattle of Kerala, described as a very short breed, and the crossbred (CB) Sunandini cattle population exhibited great phenotypic variation; hence, the present study attempted to analyze the genetic diversity existing between them. A set of 14 polymorphic microsatellites were chosen from FAO-ISAG panel and amplified from genomic DNA isolated from blood samples of 30 Vechur and 64 unrelated crossbred cattle, using fluorescent labeled primers. Both populations revealed high genetic diversity as evidenced from high observed number of alleles, Polymorphic Information Content and expected heterozygosity. Observed heterozygosity was lesser (0.699) than expected (0.752) in Vechur population which was further supported by positive FIS value of 0.1149, indicating slight level of inbreeding in Vechur population. Overall, FST value was 0.065, which means genetic differentiation between crossbred and Vechur population was 6.5%, indicating that the crossbred cattle must have differentiated into a definite population that is different from the indigenous Vechur cows. Structure analysis indicated that the two populations showed distinct differences, with two underlying clusters. The present study supports the separation between Taurine and Zebu cattle and throws light onto the genetic diversity and relationship between native Vechur and crossbred cattle populations in Kerala state.