Molecular Characterisation of Β-Casein Gene in Cattle Breeds of Kerala (Genetic Polymorphism and Comparative Analysis of β-Casein (Exon 7) Gene in Crossbreed and Vechur Cattle)

Casein and whey protein are the major proteins present in milk. Among 13 different genetic variants of casein proteins A1 and A2 β-casein are the most common. Polymorphism studies of β-casein gene became one of the most important groups of researches in recent years because of its close relation with the milk quality. Hence a study was undertaken to investigate the genetic variation of β-casein (partial exon 7) in crossbred cattle and Vechur cattle. DNA was isolated and casein gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using suitable primers. PCR products were sequenced and analysed using suitable softwares. Nucleotide sequences obtained, were showing both synonymous and non-synonymous variations.