short communication. an association between the g/a single nucleotide polymorphism within intron ii of vip gene and milk performance traits in dairy cattle

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are present in the encoding part of the genes responsible for important breeding functions, exert an influence on the cattle’s phenotype since their function is to regulate the genes expression. In this study a G/A single nucleotide polymorphism within intron II of the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) gene was detected. The study covered a herd of 185 Jersey dairy cows from the Wielkopolska Province in Poland. All possible VIP/DraI genotypes determined by using two alleles (AA, AG, GG) were examined in the herd of cows under study. The AA genotype frequency was 0.48; AG 0.22, and GG 0.30. Allele A frequency was 0.592, whereas allele G was 0.408. Analyzed VIP/DraI gene polymorphism with respect to milk utility traits showed slight statistical differences in the percentage of fat and protein content in milk of the animals with different VIP/DraI genotypes. This study could have a significant influence on dairy cattle breeding programs in the future as improvements in genetic selection methods will continue to be important in milking management.