Polymorphisms of Two Indels at the PRNP Gene in Three Beef Cattle Herds.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a transmissible fatal neurodegenerative disorder, presenting a characteristic spongiform degeneration of cattle brain due to the accumulation of a pathogenic and protease-resistant infectious protein (prion). Two deletion/insertion polymorphisms of the prion protein gene (23 bp at the promoter region and 12 bp at intron 1) were analyzed in three beef cattle herds (Aberdeen Angus, Charolais, and Franqueiro) to verify allele frequencies for possible use in selection of resistant animals. High frequencies of susceptibility alleles (23 and 12 bp deletion) and haplotype (23 del/12 del) were observed in the Aberdeen Angus and Charolais herds, but Franqueiro presented one of the highest frequencies of resistant alleles so far described. These data indicate the need for selection in Aberdeen Angus and Charolais breeds to increase the frequency of resistant animals in order to reduce the probabilities of BSE outbreaks in these populations.
Laboratório de Biotecnologia, Hospital Veterinário, Universidade Luterana do Brasil, Duque de Caxias 910/101, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Alexandre R
AR
Kerber
Diego
D
Hepp
Daniel T
DT
Passos
Tania
T
de Azevedo Weimer
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001938:Brazil; D001947:Breeding; D002417:Cattle / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control; D016643:Encephalopathy, Bovine Spongiform / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006239:Haplotypes; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011328:Prions / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D017384:Sequence Deletion / Q000235:genetics
D011328:Prions