Genetic variability detected at the lactoferrin locus (LTF) in the Italian Mediterranean river buffalo.

Lactoferrin (LTF) is a multi-functional protein belonging to the whey protein fractions of milk. The gene LTF encoding for such protein is considered a potential candidate for body measurement, milk composition and yield. This study reports on the genetic variability at the LTF locus in the Italian Mediterranean river buffalo and its possible association with milk yield. Eleven polymorphic sites were found in the DNA fragment spanning exons 15-16. In particular, intron 15 was extremely polymorphic with nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) detected, whereas the remaining two SNPs were exonic mutations (g.88G > A at exon 15 and g.1351G > A at exon 16) and both synonymous. The genotyping of the informative samples evidenced three haplotypes, whose frequencies were 0.6, 0.3 and 0.1, respectively, whereas the analysis of the exonic SNPs showed a perfect condition of linkage disequilibrium (g.88A/g.1351G and g.88G/g.1351A). The association study carried out by using the SNP g.88G > A showed that buffalo LTF gene has no statistically significant influence on daily milk yield. This study adds knowledge to the genetic variability of a species less investigated than the other ruminant species. These findings may serve as a useful tool for large-scale screening of buffalo populations.