Medycyna Wet. 64 (7), 915-917, 2008
Kulig H., Kmieć M., Kowalewska-Łuczak I., Wojdak-Maksymiec K., Torchała Bielaszewska K. |
The association between leptin gene polymorphism, somatic cell count, and milk production traits in cows |
The aim of the study was to investigate how leptin R4C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the leptin gene affects the somatic cell count (SCC) in milk as well as milk production traits such as daily milk yield, fat content, protein content, lactose content, and dry matter content in milk. A total of 162 Polish Holstein-Friesian (Red-White strain) cows were used in this study. The genotype and allele frequencies were as follows: CC – 0.26, CT – 0.56, TT – 0.18, C – 0.54, T – 0.46. Statistical analysis revealed that the studied polymorphism significantly affected the daily milk yield (P≤0.05). The results indicate that selection of R4C TT animals might contribute to increased milk yield in Holstein-Friesian cattle. |
Keywords: cattle, leptin, somatic cells, milk production |