Variation in the stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene (SCD) and its influence on milk fatty acid composition in late-lactation dairy cattle grazed on pasture

Abstract

Gene markers have become useful tools for improving animal genetics and breeding since they improve the accuracy of selection for superior breeding stock. In this study, the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (Δ-9-desaturase) gene (SCD) was investigated in New Zealand pasture-grazed Holstein–Friesian × Jersey cows. Three nucleotide substitutions were identified in exon 5 of the gene (c.702A/G, c.762T/C and c.878C/T), and a single nucleotide substitution was identified in intron 5 (c.880+105A/G). The c.878C/T substitution would, if expressed, result in the amino acid substitution p.A293V. Four nucleotide substitutions (c.*1783A/G, c.*1883C/T, c.*1984G/A and c.*2066T/C/G) were identified in the 3′-untran..