Lactoferrin (Lf) gene promoter was screened for the presence of single
nucleotide polymphism in indigenous and crossbred cattle from North India and to evaluate its association with
Mastitis. Study revealed the presence of genetic variation in regulatory region of bovine
Lactoferrin gene using PCR-RFLP technique. Three genotypes namely GG, GH and HH were identified. A single
nucleotide change, from
guanine to
adenine at 25th position was found to be significantly associated (p<0.05) with clinical
mastitis in indigenous Sahiwal and crossbred Karan Fries cattle maintained at organised herd of National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal. A non-significant association was observed between subclinical
mastitis, somatic cell score (SCS), and GG genotype in Karan Fries cattle, however, a lower SCS was observed in animals having GG genotype. Overall a lower incidence of clinical
mastitis was recorded in those animals having GG genotype of Lf in Sahiwal and Karan Fries (KF) cattle. The SNP identified in the promoter region may effect expression
lactoferrin protein, which may lead to different levels of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity of Lf gene. Results from this study indicated the probable role played by
Lactoferrin promoter to serve as candidate gene for
mastitis susceptibility among indigenous and crossbred milch cattle.