This article is part of the supplement: Second International Symposium on Candidate Genes for Animal Health. 16-18 August 2002, Montpelier - France
Research
Application of disease-associated differentially expressed genes – Mining for functional candidate genes for mastitis resistance in cattle
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* Corresponding author: Manfred Schwerin schwerin@fbn-dummerstorf.de
1 Research Unit for Molecular Biology, Research Institute for the Biology of Farm Animals, Dummerstorf, Germany
2 Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
3 Department of Animal Genetics, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland
Genetics Selection Evolution 2003, 35(Suppl 1):S19-S34 doi:10.1186/1297-9686-35-S1-S19
Published: 15 June 2003Abstract
In this study the mRNA differential display method was applied to identify mastitis-associated expressed DNA sequences based on different expression patterns in mammary gland samples of non-infected and infected udder quarters of a cow. In total, 704 different cDNA bands were displayed in both udder samples. Five hundred-and-thirty two bands, (75.6%) were differentially displayed. Ninety prominent cDNA bands were isolated, re-amplified, cloned and sequenced resulting in 87 different sequences. Amongst the 19 expressed sequence tags showing a similarity with previously described genes, the majority of these sequences exhibited homology to protein kinase encoding genes (26.3%), to genes involved in the regulation of gene expression (26.3%), to growth and differentiation factor encoding genes (21.0%) and to immune response or inflammation marker encoding genes (21.0%). These sequences were shown to have mastitis-associated expression in the udder samples of animals with and without clinical mastitis by quantitative RT-PCR. They were mapped physically using a bovine-hamster somatic cell hybrid panel and a 5000 rad bovine whole genome radiation hybrid panel. According to their localization in QTL regions based on an established integrated marker/gene-map and their disease-associated expression, four genes (AHCY, PRKDC, HNRPU, OSTF1) were suggested as potentially involved in mastitis defense.