This article is part of the supplement: Second International Symposium on Candidate Genes for Animal Health. 16-18 August 2002, Montpelier - France
Research
The relationship between the presence of extra α-globin genes and blood cell traits in Altamurana sheep
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* Corresponding author: Elisa Pieragostini pierelis@agr.uniba.it
1 Department of Engineering and Management of the Agricultural, Livestock and Forest Systems, University of Bari, Via Amendola, 165/A, 70100 Bari, Italy
2 Department of Animal Health and Well-being, University of Bari, Provinciale per Casamassima km 3, 70010 Valenzano (BA), Italy
3 Department of Animal Production, University of Bari, Via Amendola, 165/A, 70100 Bari, Italy
Genetics Selection Evolution 2003, 35(Suppl 1):S121-S133 doi:10.1186/1297-9686-35-S1-S121
The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.gsejournal.org/content/35/S1/S121
| Accepted: | 4 February 2003 |
| Published: | 15 June 2003 |
© 2003 INRA, EDP Sciences
Abstract
Additional α-globin genes in sheep might produce extra α-globin chains and, consequently, the subject carrying triplicated (ααα) or quadruplicated (αααα) haplotypes may exhibit different hematological phenotypes when compared to the normal duplicated (αα) homozygotes (NN). Both ααα and αααα heterozygous (ND) and ααα and αααα homozygous (DD) individuals were obtained by selection and inbreeding. Chromatographic RP-HPLC analyses of the globin chains of 65 subjects (15 DD, 20 ND and 30 NN) were performed. A highly significant linear regression (r2 = 0.967) of the α/β ratio on the number of α-globin genes was found, and the α/β ratio ranged on average from 1.0 in NN individuals to 1.2 in the ND and 1.6 in the DD subjects. Values for blood fell within the range of normality but were rather peculiar as a whole. When the erythrocytes of individuals carrying normal arrangements were compared with those of subjects with extra α-genes, the latter had fewer erythrocytes that were bigger in size and had a higher Hb content and a greater osmotic fragility. This hematological picture is consistent with the existence of an unbalanced α/β ratio.
Keywords:
erythrocytes; hemoglobin; α/β ratio; endemic TBDResearch
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