Development of real-time PCR assay for genotyping SNP rs41255693 in cattle SCD gene

Increased content of monounsaturated fatty acids with low melting points in cattle milk and meat known to strongly affect their taste and nutritional value. Steroyl-CoA-desaturase (SCD) is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of monounsaturated fatty acids. The gene encoding SCD in cattle is located on chromosome 26 and consists of 6 exons and 5 introns and is expressed in the cells of cow udder, adipose, muscles and other tissues. To date, several SNPs in cattle SCD gene have been found. For SNP rs41255693 (g.10329T > C), a correlation was shown between the content of monounsaturated fatty acids in cattle milk/meat and milk productivity. This article describes the development of a real-time PCR assay for genotyping SNP rs41255693 in cattle SCD gene with allele-specific TaqMan probes. The use of this assay allows to significantly reduce the time needed for cattle genotyping compared to the commonly used PCR-RFLP method.