Polymorphisms in oxytocin and α1a adrenergic receptor genes and their effects on production traits in dairy buffaloes.

The use of molecular markers may auxiliary the buffalo breeding. The oxytocin (OXT) and the adrenergic receptor α1A (ADRA1A) may be involved in milk ejection in ruminants. The aim of this study was to verify the existence of polymorphisms in the OXT and ADRA1A genes and their associations with milk production traits. A total of 220 buffaloes were genotyped using PCR-RFLP for both genes. The SNP identified in the ADRA1A gene was associated with protein percentage in dairy buffaloes. This is the first report of such association in the literature, which has not been studied in other species.