ResearchersLinks

Article · Volume 3, Issue 9, Pages 478–484, 30 July 2015 · Open Access

β-Lactoglobulin Gene Polymorphisms in Sheep and Effects on Milk Production Traits: A Review

· · ·

Article Info ⌄
Journal:
Advances in Animal and Veterinary Sciences
Published:
30 July 2015

From the article

  • It is noteworthy that the available literature provides no conclusive remarks about the effects of different β-lactoglobulin genotypes on milk production traits and coagulation properties in ovine species.
  • Moreover, the conflicting reports on the association of genetic variants of BLG with milk production traits may be due to the lack of knowledge of the relatedness of the studied animals.
  • Despite these controversial results, to include molecular genetic markers in selection to improve livestock productive performance is also a target in sheep breeding to enhance the economy of dairy sheep production worldwide.

Selected from the article's own text.

Abstract

Maria Selvaggi, Vito Laudadio, Cataldo Dario*, Vincenzo Tufarelli

Department DETO – Section of Veterinary Science and Animal Production, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, 70010 Valenzano (BA) Italy.

*Correspondence | Cataldo Dario, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, Valenzano, Italy; Email: cataldo.dario@uniba.it

Abstract
β-lactoglobulin is the main whey protein of milk from different species. To date, β-lactoglobulin gene (BLG) is one of the most investigated in ruminants including sheep. β-lactoglobulin was the first protein, in which polymorphism was found. Polymorphisms of BLG gene have been detected in several sheep breeds, but studies on the effects of BLG genetic variants on milk production traits and cheese making ability have given conflicting results. Therefore, this paper represents a detailed and updated review on β-lactoglobulin gene polymorphisms in many sheep breeds worldwide. Moreover, the associations among BLGpolymorphisms and milk yield and composition as well as milk coagulation properties were reported to offer a complete overview on these topics.

Keywords | Sheep, β-lactoglobulin, Gene polymorphisms, Milk production, Milk coagulation

Editor | Kuldeep Dhama, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Received | June 14, 2015; Revised | July 15, 2015; Accepted | July 17, 2015; Published | July 24, 2015

Citation | Selvaggi M, Laudadio V, Dario C, Tufarelli V (2015). β-lactoglobulin gene polymorphisms in sheep and effects on milk production traits: A review. Adv. Anim. Vet. Sci. 3(9): 478-484.

ISSN (Online) | 2307-8316; ISSN (Print) | 2309-3331

Copyright © 2015 Selvaggi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Introduction

Milk and dairy products from small ruminant species represent a significant part of the agricultural economy worldwide especially in marginal areas. However, goat and sheep milks have peculiar composition and properties and, as a consequence, specific productive destinations . In fact, sheep milk is used mainly for cheese production ; . There is a strong association among milk protein polymorphisms and milk yield, composition and technological aspects. So, it is necessary to make available in-depth information regarding genetic polymorphisms of milk proteins in ovine species also considering the great genetic biodiversity of sheep breeds.

β-lactoglobulin is the main whey protein of cow, sheep, goat and horse milk; it is lacking in milk from human, rodents, rabbits and camels in which, instead, another major whey protein (whey acidic protein) is found . The whey proteins showed a high nutritive value being a precious source of digestible proteins. Sheep milk whey proteins account for 17–22% of total proteins. Whey obtained from sheep milk is particularly rich in proteins with a high β-lactoglobulin and low α-lactalbumin content . β-lactoglobulin is a globular protein member of the lipocalin family, small proteins with many properties, such as the ability to bind small hydrophobic molecules. Although its biological function is still unclear, β-lactoglobulin provides amino acids to the offspring and a possible role in the transport of retinol and fatty acids has been suggested . β-lactoglobulin was the first protein in which polymorphism was found; it consists of 162 amino acids and forms stable dimers in milk having a molecular weight of 18 kDa per monomer .

Polymorphisms of BLG gene

β-lactoglobulin is encoded by the BLG gene that has been mapped on chromosome 3 in sheep . This gene is expressed in the mammary gland in a tissue-specific manner during pregnancy and lactation . β-lactoglobulin gene is highly polymorphic in ruminants: in cattle, 12 polymorphic variants of this protein are known, with variants A and B being the most frequent and commonly related to differences in milk protein yield and quality ; . In sheep, β-lactoglobulin polymorphism was widely investigated in many breeds worldwide. Three co-dominant alleles (A, B and C) have been reported in this species differing by one or more amino acid changes. The genetic variant A differs from variant B in the amino acid sequence at position 20 (Tyr→His) ; ; . Later, Erhardt (1989) found a new and rare variant indicated as C that is a subtype of variant A with a single amino acid exchange at position 148 (Arg→Gln). Variants A and B are the most common and have been detected in many breeds (see Table 1, 2 and 3). The rare variant C was detected only in few breeds such as: Merinoland, Lacha, Carranzana, Spanish Merino, Serra da Estrela, White Merino, and Black Merino ; ; ; . Erhardt (1989) suggested that the allele C perhaps originated from the Spanish Merinos considering that both Merinoland and Hungarian Merino, in which the allele C was detected, contain blood from Spanish Merinos. This hypothesis may be strengthened by the allele C detection in Black Merino and White Merino . As reported in Table 1, four sheep breeds from Saudi Arabia were found monomorphic: in particular, in Noami and Sawakni breeds only the allele A was found; whereas Nagdi and Harry breeds were genotyped as BB . Moreover, most of sheep breeds from India showed a prevalence of B allele; as a consequence, Arora et al. (2010) suggested that the B allele could possibly be considered the ancestral variant of BLG in Indian sheep. In fact, in many breeds from India, the frequency of allele B was higher than that reported in breeds from Southwest Asia, Eastern and Central Europe and Mediterranean countries (Table 1 and 2). In addition, only few investigations on BLG polymorphisms were carried out in countries other than Europe and Asia; sheep breeds from Africa, America and Oceania showed a frequency of A allele ranging from 0.704-0.950, and no evidence of C allele was found (Table 3).

Table 1: Summary of published allelic frequencies of β-lactoglobulin gene in different sheep breeds with different purpose from Asia

Breed

Purpose

A

B

C

References

Nagdi

Meat

-

1.000

-

Harry

Meat

-

1.000

-

Muzzafarnagri

Meat, Carpet wool

0.100

0.900

-

Zel

Meat

0.140

0.860

-

Jalauni

Meat, Carpet wool

0.160

0.840

-

Magra

Carpet wool

0.193

0.807

-

Rampur Bushair

Carpet wool

0.273

0.727

-

Mandya

Meat

0.273

0.727

-

Garole

Meat

0.277

0.723

-

Ganjam

Meat, Carpet wool

0.326

0.674

-

Afshari

Meat

0.340

0.660

-

Awassi

Dairy

0.348

0.352

-

Moghani

Meat

0.360

0.640

-

Changthangi

Carpet wool

0.386

0.614

-

Patanwadi

Carpet wool

0.410

0.590

-

Jaisalmeri

Carpet wool

0.425

0.575

-

Kheri

Meat, carpet wool

0.472

0.528

-

Arkharmerino

Fine wool

0.480

0.520

-

Kendrapada

Meat

0.480

0.520

-

Sonadi

Meat, carpet wool

0.499

0.501

-

Dekkani

Meat, coarse wool

0.500

0.500

-

Madgyal

Meat

0.500

0.500

-

Kurdi

Meat

0.510

0.490

-

Malpura

Wool

0.510

0.490

-

Makoei

Meat, Carpet wool

0.530

0.470

-

Chhotanagpuri

Carpet wool

0.531

0.469

-

Ghezel

Meat, Carpet wool

0.560

0.440

-

Morkaraman

Meat, Carpet wool

0.560

0.440

-

Marwari

Carpet wool

0.562

0.438

-

Chokla

Carpet wool

0.569

0.431

-

Awassi

Dairy

0.630

0.370

-

Nali

Carpet wool

0.630

0.370

-

Karakul

Pelt, wool, meat

0.714

0.286

-

Gökçeada

Dairy, meat, wool

0.763

0.237

-

Elmaci et al., 2006

Kivircik

Meat, wool, dairy

0.776

0.224

-

Elmaci et al., 2006

Dumba

Carpet wool

0.950

0.050

-

Sakiz

Dairy, wool, meat

0.976

0.024

-

Elmaci et al., 2006

Noami

Meat

1.000

-

-

Sawakni

Meat

1.000

-

-

Sheep breeds in which the associations among polymorphism and milk traits where investigated are highlighted in bold

Table 2: Summary of published allelic frequencies of β-lactoglobulin gene in different sheep breeds with different purpose from Europe

Breed

Purpose

A

B

C

References

Sarda

Dairy

0.274

0.726

-

Churra

Dairy

0.310

0.690

-

Rhön

Meat

0.324

0.676

-

Carranzana

Dairy

0.350

0.640

0.010

Valle del Belice

Dairy

0.350

0.650

-

Valachian

Dairy, wool, meat

0.353

0.647

-

Black Merino

Fine wool

0.392

0.607

0.001

Romanian Rusty Tsigai

Dairy, wool, meat

0.420

0.580

-

Romanov

Meat, wool

0.430

0.570

-

Gyimesi Racka

Dairy, wool, meat

0.460

0.540

-

White Merino

Fine wool

0.464

0.535

0.001

Lacha

Dairy

0.470

0.530

-

Bosnian Pramenka

Dairy

0.470

0.530

-

Lacaune

Dairy

0.473

0.527

-

Polish Merino

Fine wool

0.480

0.520

-

Kaweka and Radko, 2011

Polish Merino

Fine wool

0.498

0.502

-

Polish Mountain

Carpet wool, dairy

0.500

0.500

-

Kaweka and Radko, 2011

Lacha

Dairy

0.500

0.490

0.010

Comisana

Dairy

0.500

0.500

-

Hungarian Tsigai

Dairy

0.510

0.490

-

Lithuanian Blackface

Meat, wool

0.520

0.480

-

Massese

Dairy

0.520

0.480

-

Pleven

Dairy

0.528

0.472

-

Slovakian Tsigai

Dairy, wool, meat

0.540

0.460

-

Bergschaf

Meat, coarse wool

0.550

0.450

-

Kaweka and Radko, 2011

Serbian Cokanski Tsigai

Dairy, wool, meat

0.550

0.450

-

Merinoland

Fine wool

0.579

0.246

0.175

Spanish Merino

Fine wool

0.580

0.410

0.010

Croatian Tsigai

Dairy, wool, meat

0.580

0.420

-

Manchega

Dairy

0.610

0.390

-

Gentile di Puglia

Wool, meat

0.613

0.387

-

Serra da Estrela

Dairy

0.620

0.378

0.002

Altamurana

Dairy

0.625

0.375

-

Lacaune

Dairy

0.630

0.370

-

Leccese

Dairy

0.630

0.370

-

Racka

Dairy, wool, meat

0.640

0.360

-

Friesian

Dairy

0.660

0.340

-

Kaweka and Radko, 2011

Bulgarian Tsigai

Dairy, wool, meat

0.680

0.320

-

Merino

Fine wool

0.684

0.316

-

Lithuanian Native Coarsewooled

Meat, wool

0.690

0.310

-

East Friesian

Dairy

0.690

0.310

-

Sheep breeds in which the associations among polymorphism and milk traits where investigated are highlighted in bold

Relationship between genetic variants of BLG gene and milk production traits

Polymorphisms of BLG gene may be helpful as informative molecular markers for milk yield and composition as well as for rheological properties of milk. However, the influence of BLG polymorphism on milk yield and composition and cheese-making properties is controversial, indicating superiority of either the A or B allele or no relationship with quantitative traits.

In Valle del Belice ewes, the AA genotype was associated with greater milk production . A similar result was found in Sarda breed; in this case, animals carrying AA and AB genotypes had higher milk yield than BB ewes , 2003). In East Friesian sheep, it was observed a higher milk yield during the first lactation in individuals carrying AA genotype; whereas BB genotype ewes had the highest milk yield in the following lactations . In Portuguese dairy sheep studied by Ramos et al. (2009), homozygous AA ewes presented lower values of milk yield and no differences between AB and BB genotypes were found. No differences in terms of milk production among genotypes were found in Sarda , East Friesian , Polish Mountain, Polish Merino, East Friesian, and Bergschaf (Kaweka and Radko, 2011) and in West African sheep . Some investigations assessed the superiority of the B allele ; . Later, this result was confirmed by Corral et al. (2010) in Merino sheep breed.

As for milk quality, recently Corral et al. (2010) demonstrated that Merino ewes genotyped as AA were those that produced the highest fat and protein percentages. Moreover, heterozygous Serra da Estrela animals presented higher milk fat content than those carrying genotype BB. Besides, AA Merino ewes had higher milk protein content than animals with genotype AB . A positive association was found between AB genotype and fat and lactose percentages in milk from Iranian indigenous Zel sheep breed . Previous findings by Dario et al. (2005, 2008) in Altamurana and Leccese breeds reported a superiority of AA and AB genotypes for fat and whey protein percentages in milk. Martínez et al. (1993) pointed out a highly significant and positive effect of AA and AB genotypes on milk protein and casein contents in Manchega sheep. On the other hand, Giaccone et al. (2000) reported a positive effect of BB genotype on milk protein and fat contents, and Mroczkowski et al. (2004) found a positive relationship between BB genotype and milk protein content in comparison with both AA and AB genotypes in Polish Merino. No association among milk composition traits and BLG genotypes was found in Polish Mountain, Polish Merino, East Friesian, Bergschaf (Kaweka and Radko, 2011), Massese , Sarda , 2003), Merino , and Churra . As reported by Rampilli et al. (1997) in Massese breed, the BB variant of BLG could be related to a higher milk production with

Table 3: Summary of published allelic frequencies of β-lactoglobulin gene in different sheep breeds with different purpose from other countries

Breed

Purpose

A

B

C

References

Africa

Barki

Carpet wool, meat

0.704

0.296

-

Ossimi

Carpet wool, meat

0.828

0.172

-

Rahmani

Carpet wool, meat

0.950

0.050

-

America

West African

Meat

0.900

0.100

-

Oceania

Border Leicester×Merino

Meat, wool

0.750

0.250

-

Hyfer

Meat, wool

0.840

0.160

-

Sheep breeds in which the associations among polymorphism and milk traits where investigated are highlighted in bold

lower casein content and greater overall amount of whey proteins. At the same time, the AA and AB genotypes showed higher β-lactoglobulin and total casein contents and were related to a better quality of milk also in terms of rennetability. To date, only one investigation reported the relationship between BLG genotypes and milk fatty acid composition in sheep; in particular, milk from AB individuals had the lowest concentration of medium-chain fatty acids and the highest level of trans fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and long-chain fatty acids, with no significant differences regarding the polyunsaturated fatty acids level .

Many investigations have shown a superiority of milk from AA ewes for cheese processing thanks to its shorter clotting time, a better rate of curd firming and a favourable cheese yield (Lopez Galvez et al., 1993; 1994; 1998; ; Gutierrèz-Gil et al., 2001). In addition, Garzón et al. (1993) reported a superiority of AA and AB genotypes, in comparison to BB homozygotes, in terms of curdling time, medium and maximum firmness, rate of firming, and curd yield in Manchega breed. These results conflict with data reported by Pilla et al. (1995) who found that the B allele positively affected the rennet coagulation properties of milk. No association between BLG polymorphism and milk renneting properties (clotting time, curd firming time and curd firmness) was found by Recio et al. (1997) in Merino ewes and by Nudda et al. (2000) in Sarda breed. More recently, Çelik and Özdemir (2006) investigated the association between BLG genetic variants and rennet clotting time in milk belonging to Awassi and Morkaraman breeds without statistical significant differences.

Conclusions

It is noteworthy that the available literature provides no conclusive remarks about the effects of different β-lactoglobulin genotypes on milk production traits and coagulation properties in ovine species. Sometimes, results from different investigations are not comparable with each other for many reasons: population size, breed, frequency of the considered genotypes, statistical models used for data analysis. Moreover, the conflicting reports on the association of genetic variants of BLG with milk production traits may be due to the lack of knowledge of the relatedness of the studied animals. Despite these controversial results, to include molecular genetic markers in selection to improve livestock productive performance is also a target in sheep breeding to enhance the economy of dairy sheep production worldwide. To improve the local farms productivity in developing countries and in marginal areas of developed countries is a strategy to limit the off-farm migration and safeguard the current wide animal biodiversity. However, the fact remains that to sustain the economy of rural and marginal areas is also a crucial target in developed countries.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Authors contribution

All authors contributed equally to the manuscript.

References

  1. Ali S, McGlenaghan M, Simons JP, Clark AJ (1990). Characterization of the alleles encoding ovine β-lactoglobulin A and B. Gene. 91: 202–207. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0378-1119(90)90089-A[CrossRef]
  2. Anton BI, Zsolnai A (1999). Identification of the variant C of β‐lactoglobulin in sheep using a polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism method. J. Anim. Breed. Genet. 116(6): 525-528. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0388.1999.00207.x[CrossRef]
  3. Aranguren-Méndez JA, Portillo MG, Yáñez LF, Rincón X, Villasmil-Ontiveros Y (2012). Polimorfismo genético de la beta-lactoglobulina en ovejas tropicales en Venezuela y su efecto sobre la producción láctea. AICA. 2: 193-196.
  4. Arora R, Bhatia S, Mishra BP, Sharma R, Pandey AK, Prakash B, Jain A (2010). Genetic polymorphism of the β-lactoglobulin gene in native sheep from India. Biochem. Genet. 48(3-4): 304-311. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10528-009-9323-6[CrossRef]
  5. Barillet F, Mahé MF, Pellegrini O, Grosclaude F, Bernard S (1993). Polymorphisme genetique des proteines du lait en race ovine de Lacaune. In: Fifth International symposium on machine milking of small ruminants, Budapest, Hungary. pp. 1-9.
  6. Bell K, Mckenzie HA (1967). The whey proteins of ovine milk: β-lactoglobulins A and B. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 147: 123–134. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0005-2795(67)90095-5[CrossRef]
  7. Bolla P, Caroli A, Mezzelani A, Rizzi R, Pagnacco G, Fraghì A, Casu S (1989). Milk protein markers and production in sheep. Anim. Genet. 20: 78-79.
  8. Calavia MC (1997). Componentes y fenotipos de las casenínas y proteínas del lactosuero de leche de oveja (razas Lacha y Carranzana) comportamiento de las mismas durante la coagulación por quimosina y estabilidad térmica de la β-lactoglobulina. Ph.D. thesis Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain.
  9. Çelik Ş, Özdemir S (2006). β-lactoglobulin variants in Awassi and Morkaraman sheep and their association with the composition and rennet clotting time of the milk. Turk. J. Vet. Anim. Sci. 30(6): 539-544.
  10. Chessa S, Bolla P, Dario C, Caroli A, Pieragostini E (2003). Milk protein polymorphisms in the ovine breed Gentile di Puglia. Sci. Tecn. Latt-Cas. 54(3): 191-198.
  11. Chiofalo L, Micari P, Girmenia AM (1986). Polymorphism genetico del locus β-lattoglobulina nella razza ovina Comisana allevate in Sicilia. Zoot. Nutr. Anim. 12: 73-80.
  12. Clark AJ (1998). The mammary gland as a bioreactor: expression, processing, and production of recombinant proteins. J. Mamm. Gland Biol. Neoplasia. 3(3): 337-350. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1018723712996[CrossRef]
  13. Corral JM, Padilla JA, Izquierdo, M (2010). Associations between milk protein genetic polymorphisms and milk production traits in Merino sheep breed. Livest. Sci. 129(1): 73-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2010.01.007[CrossRef]
  14. Dario C, Carnicella D, Bufano G (2005). Effect of β-lactoglobulin genotypes on ovine milk composition in Altamurana breed. Arch. Zootec. 54(1): 105–108.
  15. Dario C, Carnicella D, Dario M, Bufano G (2008). Genetic polymorphism of β-lactoglobulin gene and effect on milk composition in Leccese sheep. Small Rum. Res. 74(1): 270-273. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2007.06.007[CrossRef]
  16. Elmaci C, Oner Y, Balcioglu MS (2007). β-lactoglobulin gene types in Karacabey Merino sheep breeds using PCR-RFLP. J. Appl. Anim. Res. 32(2): 145-148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09712119.2007.9706865[CrossRef]
  17. El-Shazly SA, Mahfouz ME, Al-Otaibi SA, Ahmed MM (2012). Genetic polymorphism in β-lactoglobulin gene of some sheep breeds in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and its influence on milk composition. Afr. J. Biotechnol. 11(19): 4330-4337.
  18. Elyasi G, Shodja J, Nassiry MR, Tahmasebi A, Pirahary O, Javanmard A (2010). Polymorphism of β-lactoglobulin gene in Iranian sheep breeds using PCR-RFLP. J. Mol. Genet. 2(1): 6-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.3923/jmolgene.2010.6.9[CrossRef]
  19. Erhardt G (1989). Evidence for a third allele at the β‐lactoglobulin (β‐Lg) locus of sheep milk and its occurrence in different breeds. Anim. Genet. 20(3): 197-204. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2052.1989.tb00857.x[CrossRef]
  20. Garzón SAI, Martinez HJ, Aparicio RF, Méndez MD, Montoro AV (1993). Relacion entre la β-lactoglobulina y los indices tecnologicos en ganado ovino Manchego (Relationship between β-lactoglobulin and technological indexes in Manchega sheep breed). Arch. Zootec. 42(157): 155-160.
  21. Giaccone P, Di Stasio L, Macciotta NP, Portolano B, Todaro M, Cappio-Borlino A (2000). Effect of β-lactoglobulin polymorphism on milk-related traits of dairy ewes analysed by a repeated measures design. J. Dairy Res. 67(3): 443-448. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0022029900004210[CrossRef]
  22. Gutiérrez-Gil B, Arranz JJ, Othmane MH, de la Fuente LF, San Primitivo F (2001). Influencia del genotipo de la b-lactoglobulina ovina sobre caracteres cualitativos y rendimiento quesero individual en la raza Churra. ITEA. 22: 15–17.
  23. Hayes HC, Petit EJ (1993). Mapping of the beta-lactoglobulin gene and of an immunoglobulin M heavy chain-like sequence to homoeologous cattle, sheep and goat chromosomes. Mamm. Gen. 4: 207–210. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00417564[CrossRef]
  24. Jyotsana B, Kumar R, Kumari R, Meena AS, Prince LLL, Prakash V, Kumar S (2014). β-lactoglobulin gene polymorphism in Indian sheep breeds of different agro-climatic regions. Ind. J. Anim. Sci. 84(10): 1133-1136.
  25. Kawecka A, Radko A (2011). Genetic polymorphism of β-lactoglobulin in sheep raised for milk production. J. Appl. Anim. Res. 39(1): 68-71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09712119.2011.565223[CrossRef]
  26. Kevorkian S, Manea MA, Georgescu SE, Dinischiotu A, Costache M (2008). Genotyping of β-lactoglobulin gene in Karakul sheep breed. Sci. Pap. Anim. Sci. Biotechnol. 41(1): 112-116.
  27. Kolde HJ, Braunitzer G (1983). The primary structure of ovine β-lactoglobulin. Milckwissenschaft 38: 70–72.
  28. Kontopidis G, Holt C, Sawyer L (2004). Invited review: β-lactoglobulin: binding properties, structure, and function. J. Dairy Sci. 87(4): 785-796. http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(04)73222-1[CrossRef]
  29. Kučinskiene J, Vagonis G, Malevičiūtė J, Tapio I (2005). Genetic polymorphism of β-lactoglobulin in Lithuanian Blackface and Lithuanian Native Coarsewooled sheep. Veter. Zootech. 29(51): 90-92.
  30. Kusza S, Sziszkosz N, Nagy K, Masala A, Kukovics S, András J (2015). Preliminary result of a genetic polymorphism of β-lactoglobulin gene and the phylogenetic study of ten Balkan and Central European indigenous sheep breeds. Acta Biochim. Polon. 62(1): 109-112. http://dx.doi.org/10.18388/abp.2014_846[CrossRef]
  31. Lopez-Galvez G, Amigo L, Ramos M (1994). Genetic polymorphism of whey proteins in two ovine breeds. Milchwissenschaft. 49: 123 125.
  32. Lopez-Galvez G, Ramos M, Martin-Alvarez PJ, Juarez M (1993). Influence of milk protein polymorphism on cheese producing ability in the milk of Manchega sheep breed. In: Cheese yield and factors affecting its control. Brussels, Belgium; Int. Dairy Federation, pp. 163- 173.
  33. Lopez-Galvez G, Ramos M, Martin-Alvarez PJ, Juarez M (1998). Influence of milk protein poly-morphism on cheese producing ability in the milk of Manchega ewes breed. Sheep Dairy News (United Kingdom). 15: 35-36.
  34. Lunden A, Nilsson M, Janson L (1997). Marked effect of β-lactoglobulin polymorphism on the ratio of casein to total protein in milk. J. Dairy Sci. 80: 2996–3005. http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(97)76266-0[CrossRef]
  35. Mácha J, Novackova I (1974). Geneticky polymorfismus beta-laktoglobulinu V mléce ovci. Zivocisna Vyroba. 19: 883–888.
  36. Martínez HJ, Garzón SA, Méndez MD, Aparicio RF, Vera VA (1993). Influencia de las variantes genéticas de la β-lactoglobulina sobre el ph, caseina total y rendimiento en cuajada en ovejas de raza Manchega (β-lactoglobulin genetic variants influence on ph, total casein and curd yield in Manchega sheep breed). Arch. Zootec. 42: 245-252.
  37. Mele M, Conte G, Serra A, Buccioni A, Secchiari P (2007). Relationship between beta-lactoglobulin polymorphism and milk fatty acid composition in milk of Massese dairy ewes. Small Rum. Res. 73(1): 37-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2006.10.021[CrossRef]
  38. Miluchová M, Trakovická A, Gábor M (2011). Polymorphism and genetic structure of LGB gene (RsaI) in Valachian sheep population. Sci. Pap. Anim. Sci. Biotechnol. 44(1): 303-305.
  39. Moatsou G, Hatzinaki A, Samolada M, Anifantakis E (2005). Major whey proteins in ovine and caprine acid wheys from indigenous Greek breeds. Int. Dairy J. 15: 123–131. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.idairyj.2004.06.005[CrossRef]
  40. Mroczkowski S, Korman K, Erhardt G, Piwczynski D, Borys B (2004). Sheep milk protein polymorphism and its effect on milk performance of Polish Merino. Archiv. Fur Tierzucht 47(6; SPI): 114-121.
  41. Nassiry MR, Shahroudi FE, Tahmoorespur M, Javadmanesh A (2007). Genetic variability and population structure in beta-lactoglobulin, calpastain and calpain loci in Iranian Kurdi sheep. Pak. J. Biol. Sci. 10(7): 1062-1067. http://dx.doi.org/10.3923/pjbs.2007.1062.1067[CrossRef]
  42. Nudda A, Feligini M, Battacone G, Campus RL, Pulina G (2000). Effects of β-lactoglobulin genotypes and parity on milk production and coagulation properties in Sarda dairy ewes. Zoot. Nutr. Anim. 26(3): 137-143.
  43. Nudda A, Feligini M, Battacone G, Macciotta NPP, Pulina G (2003). Effects of lactation stage, parity, beta-lactoglobulin genotype and milk SCC on whey protein composition in Sarda dairy ewes. Ital. J. Anim. Sci. 2: 29-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.4081/ijas.2003.29[CrossRef]
  44. Othman OE, El Fiky SA, Hassan NA, Mahfouz ER, Balabel EA (2012). Genetic polymorphism of whey protein genes β-LG and α-LA in three Egyptian sheep breeds. J. Appl. Biol. Sci. 6(3): 25-30.
  45. Perez MD, Calvo M (1995). Interaction of β-lactoglobulin with retinol and fatty acids and its role as a possible biological function for this protein: a review. J. Dairy Sci. 78: 978–988. http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(95)76713-3[CrossRef]
  46. Pietrolà E, Carta A, Fraghì A, Piredda G, Pilla F (2000). Effect of β-lactoglobulin locus on milk yield in Sarda ewes. Zoot. Nutr. Anim. 26: 129–133.
  47. Pilla F, Dell’Aquila S, Taibi L, Tripaldi C, Puppo S, Napolitano F, Pallotta ML, Angelucci M, Girolami A (1995). Influenza del polimorfismo genetico della β-lattoglobulina su alcune caratteristiche fisico-chimiche e tecnologiche del latte di pecora. In: Proc. XI Congress Associazione Scientifica Produzione Animale. Avenue Media Ed, Bologna, pp. 207–208.
  48. Ramos A, Matos CAP, Russo-Almeida PA, Bettencourt CMV, Matos J, Martins A, Pinheiro C, Rangel-Figueiredo T (2009). Candidate genes for milk production traits in Portuguese dairy sheep. Small Rum. Res. 82: 117–121. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2009.02.007[CrossRef]
  49. Rampilli M, Cecchi F, Giuliotti L, Cattaneo TMP (1997). The influence of β-lactoglobulin genetic polymorphism on protein distribution and coagulation properties in milk of Massese breed ewes, in Milk Protein Polymorphism. International Dairy Federation, Brussels, pp. 311–315.
  50. Recio I, Fernandez-Fournier A, Martin-Alvarez PJ, Ramos M (1997). β-lactoglobulin polymorphism in ovine breeds: influence on cheesemaking properties and milk composition. Lait. 77(2): 259-265. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/lait:1997218[CrossRef]
  51. Sabour MP, Lin CY, Lee AJ, McAllister AJ (1996). Association between milk protein genetic variants and genetic values of Canadian Holstein bulls for milk yield traits. J. Dairy Sci. 79(6): 1050-1056. http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(96)76458-5[CrossRef]
  52. Schmoll F, Herget I, Hatzipanagiotou A, Tholen E, Wimmers K, Brem G, Schellander K (1999). Associations of beta-lactoglobulin variants with milk production, milk composition and reproductive performance in milk sheep. Wien. Tierärztl. Monat. 86: 57–60.
  53. Selvaggi M, Tufarelli V (2012). Caseins of goat and sheep milk: analytical and technological aspects. In: Casein: Production, Uses and Health Effects, ed. by Ventimiglia AM, Birkenhäger JM. Nova Science Publishers, New York, pp. 1–25.
  54. Selvaggi M, Laudadio V, Dario C, Tufarelli V (2014a). Major proteins in goat milk: an updated overview on genetic variability. Mol. Biol. Rep. 41(2): 1035-1048. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11033-013-2949-9[CrossRef]
  55. Selvaggi M, Laudadio V, Dario C, Tufarelli V (2014b). Investigating the genetic polymorphism of sheep milk proteins: a useful tool for dairy production. J. Sci. Food Agri. 94(15): 3090-3099. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.6750[CrossRef]
  56. Staiger EA, Thonney ML, Buchanan JW, Rogers ER, Oltenacu PA, Mateescu RG (2010). Effect of prolactin, β-lactoglobulin, and κ-casein genotype on milk yield in East Friesian sheep. J. Dairy Sci. 93(4): 1736-1742. http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.2009-2630[CrossRef]
  57. Thomas AS, Dawe ST, Walker RA (1989). Milk protein polymorphism in Hyfer and Border Leicester X Merino sheep. Milchwissenschaft. 44: 686-688.
  58. Yang F, Li L, Liu H, Cai Y, Wang G (2012). Polymorphism in the exon 4 of β-lactoglobulin variant B precursor gene and its association with milk traits and protein structure in Chinese Holstein. Mol. Biol. Rep. 29: 3957–3964. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11033-011-1175-6[CrossRef]
  59. Yousefi S, Azari MA, Zerehdaran S, Samiee R, Khataminejhad R (2013). Effect of β-lactoglobulin and κ-casein genes polymorphism on milk composition in indigenous Zel sheep. Arch. Tierzucht. 56: 216-224.

Services

Article usage statistics

Loading…

β-Lactoglobulin Gene Polymorphisms in Sheep and Effects on Milk Production Traits: A Review · ResearchersLinks