The Ongole cattle are popularly raised in the Seven Mountains region of An Giang Province, Vietnam. This breed is a main source of animals that often participate in the famous bull-racing festival. A small number of cattle in the Phum squirrels have a pure Ongole phenotype. However, due to the practice of castration of male calves and Sindization, purebred Ongole are in danger of extinction, whereas genetic features have not been investigated. This study aimed to examine the genetic features of Ongole cattle by utilizing molecular markers. We examined the nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial DNA and the SRY gene on the Y chromosome, as well as conducted genotyping of the NCAPG, DGAT1, and RNF212 genes in the Ongole cattle population. The sequence investigation of the mitochondrial DNA revealed that the cattle possess the Bos indicus type I1 haplotype, suggesting relatively high genetic diversity in the maternal lineage. The sequence analysis of the SRY gene suggests that all the males possess a zebu-type haplotype, which may be derived from a cross between Bos javanicus and zebu. The results of the genotyping of the functional genes indicated that the NCAPG and DGAT1 genes are polymorphic, whereas the RNF212 gene is monomorphic. Particularly, the presence of the desirable alleles of the NCAPG and DGAT1 genes will be important for the selection of animals based on their potential performances in meat and milk productivity. The present findings could be informative for future conservation and breeding of this bull-racing cattle breed.
Keywords | Ongole cattle, Genetic diversity, mtDNA, Polymorphisms, SNPs, Y chromosome