Methylation Levels in the Promoter Region of FHIT and PIAS1 Genes Associated with Mastitis Resistance in Xinjiang Brown Cattle

• Published in: Genes 2023-05, Vol.14 (6), p.1189
• Main Authors: Zhong, Liwei, Ma, Shengchao, Wang, Dan, Zhang, Menghua, Tian, Yuezhen, He, Junmin, Zhang, Xiaoxue, Xu, Lei, Wu, Cuiling, Dong, Mingming, Gou, Murong, Huang, Xixia, Tian, Kechuan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Blood; Cattle; Correlation analysis; Dairy cattle; Dairy industry; Datasets; DNA Methylation; Female; FHIT protein; Gene expression; Genetic testing; Genomes; Goats; Humans; Leukocytes; Marker-assisted selection; Mastitis; Mastitis - genetics; Milk; Phenols; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Protein Inhibitors of Activated STAT - genetics; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Quality control; Small Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Proteins - genetics; Software
• ISSN: 2073-4425
• DOI: 10.3390/genes14061189

Mastitis causes serious economic losses in the dairy industry, but there are no effective treatments or preventive measures. In this study, the , , , , , and genes in Xinjiang brown cattle, which are associated with mastitis resistance, were identified using a GWAS. Pyrosequencing analysis showed that the promoter methylation levels of the and genes in the mastitis group were higher and lower, respectively, than those in the healthy group (65.97 ± 19.82% and 58.00 ± 23.52%). However, the methylation level of the gene promoter region in the mastitis group was lower than that in the healthy group (11.48 ± 4.12% and 12.17 ± 4.25%). Meanwhile, the methylation levels of CpG3, CpG5, CpG8, and CpG15 in the promoter region of the and genes in the mastitis group were significantly higher than those in the healthy group ( < 0.01), respectively. RT-qPCR showed that the expression levels of the and genes were significantly higher in the healthy group than those in the mastitis group ( < 0.01). Correlation analysis showed that the promoter methylation level of the gene was negatively correlated with its expression. Hence, increased methylation in the promoter of the gene reduces the mastitis resistance in Xinjiang brown cattle. Finally, this study provides a reference for the molecular-marker-assisted selection of mastitis resistance in dairy cattle.