CATHL2 polymorphism and milk production and reproductive traits in dairy cattle

Cathelicidins are a group of host defense proteins that exhibit antibacterial, antiviral and immunomodulating properties, while they also promote wound healing and participate in cell proliferation and angiogenesis. Cathelicidins have been detected in many animal species, including cattle, in which 8 genes coding for these proteins were identified. Moreover, in cows these proteins are involved in the response to mastitis. The aim of this study was to estimate associations between polymorphism in the CATHL2 gene in the 807 G>A position and some milk production traits and reproductive traits. The study included 539 Polish Holstein-Friesian Black-and-White cows. The ACRS and PCR-RFLP method was used to identify genotypes. The CATHL2/MseI frequencies were as follows: GG - 0.644, GA - 0.311 and AA - 0.045. In this study, no statistically significant associations between CATHL2 genotypes and the analyzed traits were found; however, a tendency to maintain a relationship of genotypes with milk production traits and reproductive indicators is shown.