Polymorphism in Argininosuccinate Synthase Gene in Indian Holstein

The present study investigated the occurrence of an autosomal recessive genetic disease, Bovine Citrullinaemia caused by mutation in Argininosuccinate Synthase (ASS) gene, in Indian Holstein cattle. The Polymerase chain reaction-Restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis was performed on a group of 120 Holstein bulls to identify carrier (heterozygous) animals. Two out of 120 (1.67%) animals were found carrier for Bovine Citrullinaemia. The gene and genotype frequency of recessive allele was estimated 0.0083 and 0.0167 in the 120 samples respectively. It is possible that these could be descendant of LMKK bull as Holstein bulls and frozen semen doses were imported in past for crossbreeding programmes in India. It is therefore, strongly recommended to screen breeding bulls for their breed specific genetic diseases before they are inducted in Artificial Insemination programme, to minimize the risk in future Holstein breeding bulls.