Polymorphism of exon 2-3 of bovine major histocompatibility complex class I BoLa-A gene

The exon 2-3 region of bovine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I BoLa-A gene was investigated for polymorphisms in three breeds of cattle originated in the Indian subcontinent namely Sahiwal, Tharparkar, Hariana, as well as crossbred (Bos taurus x Bos indicus) cattle and Jersey, the exotic breed (Bos taurus). The PCR amplified fragment of 714 bp showed distinct DdeI-, TaqI- and HinfI- RFLP patterns, thus confirming a higher degree of poly-morphism in this region. To our knowledge this is the first report of HinfI restriction patterns for BoLa-A exon 2-3. The sequencing results revealed a number of nucleotide substitutions in this region, which resulted in amino acid changes. The present investigation confirmed that MHC class I BoLa-A exon 2-3 is highly polymorphic in cattle. Key words: MHC, BoLa-A polymorphism, cattle