Biochemical evidence for a quantitative polymorphism at the αS1- and κ-CN loci in Italian Mediterranean buffalo milk

Abstract The application of reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography for the analysis of 116 Italian Mediterranean buffalo milk samples allowed us to find a non-allelic polymorphism at the level of αS1-CN and κ-CN loci. Duplicated and triplicate haplotypes were revealed by different proportions in the heterozygous forms of the A and B αS1-CN alleles and of κ-CN T (X1) and I (X2) alleles. Chromatographic profiles revealed that approximately 97.0% and 91.3% of the individuals exhibited the expected polymorphisms, as well as different aberrant patterns for αS1-CN and κ-CN (4 and 5 respectively). The current study contributes to the assessment of the genes involved in protein secretion and for inferring non-allelic polymorphisms through the characterisation of phenotypic expression.