CHARACTERIZATION OF THE α_S1-CASEIN I^RV ALLELE PROVIDES EVIDENCE FOR PHYLOGENY OF THE ANCIENT ROMANIAN GREY STEPPE CATTLE, MOLDAVIAN STRAIN

V.A. Balteanu, F.D. Pop, A. Vlaic, T.C. Carsai, Şt. Creangă, A.R. Rusu

Abstract
The objective of this work was the complete characterization of the α_S1 casein (α_S1-CN) I^RVallele, previously identified in the Moldavian strain of Romanian Grey Steppe cattle. After α_S1-CN cDNA sequencing several substitutions were observed in I^RV allele (GenBank EU908730), as compared with common B and C alleles. These results suggest that the I^RV allele arose phylogenetically from the C variant. Based on A-T substitution (exon 11), a PCR-RFLP test was developed for identification of I^RV allele. Tissue samples of 63 living individuals of this breed an representing different ages and preserved semen samples of 6 deceased bulls were genotyped, resulting in a 0.123 frequency of I^RV allele. The discovery of an ancestral casein allele in such a small endangered population is critical in the context of genetic resources preservation, highlighting the unique phylogeny of Romanian Grey Steppe cattle.

Key words: Grey Steppe cattle, α_S1 casein I^RV, milk, polymorphism, cattle phylogeny