PLoS ONE (Jan 2013)

A triad of highly divergent polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (PIGR) haplotypes with major effect on IgA concentration in bovine milk.

  • Sarah Berry,
  • Wouter Coppieters,
  • Stephen Davis,
  • Alayna Burrett,
  • Natalie Thomas,
  • David Palmer,
  • Van Kelly,
  • Vladimir Obolonkin,
  • Kathryn Sanders,
  • Richard Spelman,
  • Michel Georges,
  • Klaus Lehnert,
  • Russell Snell

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0057219
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 3
p. e57219

Abstract

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The aim of this study was to determine a genetic basis for IgA concentration in milk of Bos taurus. We used a Holstein-Friesian x Jersey F2 crossbred pedigree to undertake a genome-wide search for QTL influencing IgA concentration and yield in colostrum and milk. We identified a single genome-wide significant QTL on chromosome 16, maximising at 4.8 Mbp. The polymeric immunoglobulin receptor gene (PIGR) was within the confidence interval of the QTL. In addition, mRNA expression analysis revealed a liver PIGR expression QTL mapping to the same locus as the IgA quantitative trait locus. Sequencing and subsequent genotyping of the PIGR gene revealed three divergent haplotypes that explained the variance of both the IgA QTL and the PIGR expression QTL. Genetic selection based on these markers will facilitate the production of bovine herds producing milk with higher concentrations of IgA.