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.