Thermal stress effect on ATP1A1 gene expression in Bali cattle (Bos sondaicus) in Barru district, South Sulawesi

Abstract

The rise of global temperature in the past years causes thermal stress in cattle. Thermal stress leads to oxidative stress that constrains cattle productivity. In response to this stress, cattle alter the expression of ATP1A1 gene. ATP1A1 gene encodes the α-1 chain of the Na+/K+-ATPase which is responsible for maintenance of the Na+ and K+ gradients across the plasma membrane. This study was conducted to understand the influence of thermal stress on the expression of ATP1A1 gene in Bali cattle (Bos sondaicus) in Barru district, South Sulawesi. Thermal stress was measured by temperature humidity index (THI) in dry season on August 2016. Reverse Transcription Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) was then used to measure the expression of ATP1A1 gene from isolated RNA which was obtained from the blood sample of Bali cattle that lived in Barru district and Bali cattle that lived in Bogor district as a control group. The statistical analysis with Mood’s test (p<0.05) showed there was no significant difference in ATP1A1 gene expression of Bali cattle that lived in Bogor district (control group) with Bali cattle that lived in Barru district, that, even though there were differences in THI value. This result may be due to the good adaptability character of Bali cattle in Barru district, that high THI value (84.6) still had not cause thermal stress and increase of ATP1A1 gene expression in the cattle.