Association between GH, PRL, LEP, and PIT-1 gene polymorphisms and growth traits in Indonesian Rambon indigenous cattle.

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For further understanding of the genetic control mechanisms of growth and development in cattle and to explore genetic marking loci that were associated with growth characteristics, we recruited a total of 31 Rambon indigenous cattle from Indonesia to detect 20 SNPs in growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), leptin (LEP), and pituitary-specific transcription factor (PIT-1) by using direct sequencing techniques. From the results, we found that only SNP g.10976A > C in the PIT-1 gene was a non-synonymous mutation, which changed the amino acid from aspartic acid to alanine. The allele and genotype frequencies of all loci varied. Interestingly, the genotype frequencies of SNP g.7875A > G and g.8010C > T in the PRL gene and g.10958A > G in the PIT-1 gene were not under the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P < 0.05). Of the identified mutations, SNP g.12238G > A of the LEP gene was significantly associated with body length (P < 0.05); SNPs g.10976A > C and g.11398A > C in the PIT-1 gene was significantly associated with body weight, chest girth, and shoulder height (P < 0.05). Interestingly, the heterozygous animals for the associated SNPs gained higher growth performances than the homozygous counterparts. No SNPs within the GH and PRL genes were associated with any traits (P > 0.05). These data suggest specific roles for GH and PRL polymorphisms in bovine growth traits and could be potential candidates for marker-assisted selection in the Rambon cattle population.