“Polimorfismos genéticos na região promotora do gene da Leptina em bovinos de corte.”

Abstract

Bovine farming in Brazil has stood out on the world stage, with growth in productivity and animal performance. However, much need to be done to improve the final quality of the product, through the use of breeding programs. Leptin is a hormone synthesized in fat by the gene obese (ob), influencing weight gain that works as a great physiological marker. This aimed study is to describe the Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of the leptin gene in beef cattle. DNA samples were taken from animal blood of Nellore, Tabapuã, Senepol and Guzerá breeds. And amplification and sequencing procedures of the promoter region were performed using primers described for taurine breeds. The results of the sequences of the Zebu subspecies were compared with other sequences available on BLAST, which showed highest identity to the sequence of Bos taurus Hanwoo (DQ202319). Twentythree single nucleotide polymorphic sites, including transitions and transversions, were detected at positions -1457, -1452, -1446, -1397, -1392, -1361, -1238, -963,-901, -578, - 516, -483, -478, -470, -432, -430, -292, -282, -272, -211, -202, -170, and -147. Additionally, two insertion sites at positions -680 and -416 and two deletion sites at positions -1255 and - 1059 were detected. As the promoter region of the leptin gene has been demonstrated to vary among breeds, these variations must be tested for their use as potential molecular markers for artificial selection of animals for enhanced beef production in different systems of bovine production in Brazil.