A preliminary study of solute carrier family gene in adapted bovine breeds of Panama

Abstract

SLC11A1, the solute carrier family gene formerly known as bovine natural resistanceassociated macrophage protein (NRAMP), has the polymorphism of the associated microsatellites located in its 3’ untranslated region (UTR). SLC11A1 has been associated with susceptibility or resistance to several intracellular pathogens. In Panama, several genetic characterization studies have been performed on the Guaymí (GY) and Guabalá (GUA) Creole breeds. Given that these breeds adapted to the local environment over a long period, there is an extremely high probability that an examination of the SLC11A1 gene could reveal alleles of this gene that confer resistance to disease. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the associated microsatellites located in its 3’ UTR of the SLC11A1 gene in bovine breeds locally adapted to Panama. Four locally adapted bovine breeds were studied. In total, 35 of the amplified samples were sequenced, revealing new polymorphisms such as (GT)3, (GT)4 and (GT)5 in GT regions. The most common repeats among the evaluated populations were (GT)11, (GT)6 and (GT)4, which were found in 34.3, 20.0 and 11.4% of samples, respectively. Moreover, the (GT)13 repeat, which is associated with natural resistance against brucellosis, was found in the GUA breed. In addition, based on the numbers of GT repeats found in the sequenced samples, the GUA breed exhibited the greatest number of polymorphisms among the examined breeds.