Characterization of the CSN1A^G Allele of the Bovine _s1-Casein Locus by the Insertion of a Relict of a Long Interspersed Element

¹ Dipartimento di Scienze delle Produzioni Animali, Università degli Studi della Basilicata, Via N. Sauro 85, 85100 Potenza, Italy
² Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Via Università 100, 80055 Portici (NA), Italy
³ Istituto di Zootecnica, Alimentazione e Nutrizione, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Parma, Via del Taglio 8, 43100 Parma, Italy
⁴ Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie delle Produzioni Animali, Facoltà di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Catania, Via Valdisavoia 5, 95123 Catania, Italy

The bovine CSN1A^G allele is associated with a lower proportion of _s1-casein in milk and is characterized by an insertion in the last noncoding exon (19th). According to DNA sequence analysis, the location, length, and origin of the insertion characterizing the bovine CSN1A^G allele have been identified. This insertion interrupts the 19th exon between nucleotides 58 and 59, is 371 bp long, and has a high level of homology with relicts of long interspersed elements of retropositional origin. Northern blot analysis shows that the inserted element is transcribed and that the number of transcripts of the CSN1A^G allele is less than one-half of the number of transcripts of the CSN1A^B allele. The lower amount of _s1-casein in milk obtained from cows carrying the CSN1A^G allele can be explained by a reduced mRNA stability. Furthermore, a method has been developed using polymerase chain reaction for identification of the carriers of the CSN1A^G allele.

Key Words: bovine _s1-casein • CSN1A^G allele • long interspersed element

Submitted on May 29, 1997
Accepted on January 7, 1998

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