Allele frequencies of gene polymorphisms related to economic traits in Bos taurus and Bos indicus cattle breeds.

Allele frequencies of 10 representative polymorphisms for beef and milk traits were investigated for a total of 240 animals from Bos taurus and Bos indicus breeds, including two Japanese groups (Japanese Black and Japanese Brown), two East Asian groups (Korean and Mongolian), three European groups (Holstein, Angus and Hereford) and a Bos indicus group in South Asia (Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia). The Japanese Black revealed unique genetic construction in GH, FASN and SREBP-1 and the other Asian populations show intermediate frequencies between European and Japanese populations. The Bos indicus group showed low favorable allele frequencies in most of the genes. The study showed the variability and distribution of 10 genes affecting economic traits among world representative cattle breeds. The genetic information would contribute to elucidating the genetic background for worldwide cattle breeds and the possibility of improvement using the markers.