Polymorphism of the Melanocortin 1 Receptor (MC1R) Gene and its Role in Determining the Coat Colour of Central European Cattle Breeds

Karolina Kasprzak-Filipek; Wioletta Sawicka-Zugaj; Zygmunt Litwińczuk; Witold Chabuz; Rūta Šveistienė; Josef Bulla

doi:10.3390/ani10101878

Polymorphism of the Melanocortin 1 Receptor (MC1R) Gene and its Role in Determining the Coat Colour of Central European Cattle Breeds

Animals (Basel). 2020 Oct 14;10(10):1878. doi: 10.3390/ani10101878.

Authors

Karolina Kasprzak-Filipek¹, Wioletta Sawicka-Zugaj¹, Zygmunt Litwińczuk¹, Witold Chabuz¹, Rūta Šveistienė², Josef Bulla³

Affiliations

¹ Sub-Department of Cattle Breeding and Genetic Resources Conservation, Institute of Animal Breeding and Biodiversity Conservation, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
² Animal Science Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, A. Mickeviciaus 9, LT 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania.
³ Department of Animal Physiology, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, A. Hlinku 2, 94976 Nitra, Nitriansky Kraj, Slovakia.

Abstract

There are many genes responsible for the appearance of different coat colours, among which the melanocortin 1 receptor gene (MC1R) plays an important role. The aim of the study was to characterize genetic variation in Central European cattle breeds based on polymorphism of the MC1R gene and factors determining their coat colour. The study was conducted on 290 individuals of the following breeds: Polish White-Backed (PW), Lithuanian White-Backed (LW), Polish Red (PR), Lithuanian Red (LR), Carpathian Brown (CB), Ukrainian Grey (UG), and Slovak Pinzgau (SP). Polymorphism at the MC1R gene locus was analysed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) using two restriction enzymes: Cfr10I and SsiI. The proportions of alleles and genotypes in the MC1R locus indicates a strong relationship between polymorphism and the coat colour of cattle: The E^D allele proved to be characteristic for the breeds with a white-backed coat (PW and LW), while the dominant allele in the red breeds (PR and LR) was E⁺. It is noteworthy that coat colour in the SP population was determined only by the recessive e allele, which resulted in the formation of a separate clade in the phylogenetic tree.

Keywords: Central European cattle breeds; MC1R; coat colour determination.