Polymorphisms of DGAT2 gene and its associations with several growth traits in Nanyang cattle

The associations between SNPs in intron 6 and intron 7 of the bovine diacylglycerolacyltransferase (DGAT2) gene and growth traits in purebred Nanyang cattle (n=131) were reported in this study. Alleles detected in intron 6 were allele A and B with frequencies of 0.875 and 0.125, respectively; alleles detected in intron 7 were allele N and M with frequencies of 0.968 and 0.032, respectively. The animals with genotype AA in intron 6 showed 3.8% increases in body height (P < 0.01), 3.9% increases in body weight (P < 0.05), 3.8% (P < 0.05), 3.6% (P < 0.05), 3.8% (P < 0.01) and 3.1%( P < 0.01) increase in body length at age six-month to two-year compared with genotype AB, respectively. They also showed 3.8 % (P < 0.05), 3.4 % ( P < 0.01), 3.7% (P < 0.01) and 4.3% (P < 0.01) increases in heart girth at age six-month to two-year respectively. Animals with the NM genotype show significantly higher average heart girth at age two years (P < 0.05), and Hucklebone width (P < 0.01) at age eighteen-month (P < 0.01) and two-year (P < 0.01) compared with animals with the genotype NN, respectively.