Analysis of BMP4 gene HaeIII polymorphism in Assam Hill goat

Abstract

BMP4 has been studied as a candidate gene for prolificacy in many species. The objective of the present study was to detect incidence of mutation in exonic region of BMP4 gene of Assam Hill goat. Blood samples pertaining to 80 randomly selected Assam Hill goats having a kidding history of single as well as multiple births maintained at three field units’ viz., Batabari, Nahira and Tetelia under “All India Coordinated Research Project on Goat Improvement” were utilized. DNA was extracted using modified phenol chloroform extraction method. The quantity and quality of extracted DNA were assessed using spectrophotometry and agarose gel electrophoresis. A 517 bp fragment of BMP4 gene was amplified by using Polymerase Chain Reaction. The digestion of purified product with HaeIII restriction enzyme produced two fragments of 151 bp and 366 bp in agarose gel electrophoresis for all the samples revealing monomorphic banding patterns. Nucleotide sequencing revealed a single nucleotide mutation 159 (A→ T) in samples having a history of multiple birth. However, further research on substantially large number of individuals of Assam Hill goat is needed to validate the finding.