A 5'UTR SNP of GHRHR locus is associated with body weight and average daily gain in Chinese cattle.

Growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR) has important functions in the regulation of the growth hormone axis and the development and proliferation of pituitary somatotropes. Moreover, some mutations in mouse GHRHR can induce the dwarfism. The objective of this paper is to reveal the association of GHRHR with growth traits in three Chinese cattle breeds, including Nanyang cattle (NY, 220), Qinchuan cattle (QC, 114), and Jiaxian cattle (JX, 142). A novel single nucleotide polymorphism (NM_181020:c.102C>T) in 5'UTR of GHRHR was identified using PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing. The frequency of NM_181020:c.102C allele ranged from 0.926 to 0.956. We found that the locus was significantly associated with NY cattle's body weight (BW) of 6 months, with average daily gain (ADG) of 0-6 months, and as well as with ADG of 6-12 months (p < 0.05). The data suggested that the polymorphism (NM_181020:c.102C>T) of the GHRHR could be a molecular marker candidate for breeding of NY cattle in favor of BW.