Polymorphism of the MFGE8/HinfI Gene and its Association with Pasundan Heifers’ Performance Traits
Abstract
Background: Pasundan cattle (Bos indicus) are an indigenous beef cattle breed from West Java, Indonesia, with potential value for genetic improvement programs. The MFGE8 gene has been implicated in various biological processes. It may serve as a candidate gene for growth-related traits in cattle. Aim: This study aimed to identify the MFGE8/HinfI gene polymorphism and evaluate its association with performance traits in young Pasundan female cattle (heifers). Methods: A total of 36 Pasundan heifers aged 14–18 months from the breeding center at Cijeungjing, West Java, Indonesia, were used in this study. Body weight and body measurements, including body length, wither height, and chest girth, were recorded for association analysis. Genotyping of the MFGE8/HinfI locus (g.9929T>G) located in intron 6 was performed using PCR-RFLP. The genetic diversity parameters and associations between genotypes and performance traits were subsequently analyzed. Results: The MFGE8/HinfI locus was polymorphic in the Pasundan cattle population and exhibited a moderate PIC (PIC = 0.36). The frequency of the T allele (0.60) was higher than that of the G allele (0.40). However, the genotype distribution significantly deviated from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (χ² = 11.25). Hence, the previous selection in the Pasundan cattle under study affected the genetic diversity in an investigated locus. Association analysis revealed that the MFGE8/HinfI polymorphism had no significant effect (p > 0.05) on body weight, body length, wither height, or chest girth in the studied animals. Conclusion: The MFGE8/HinfI gene is polymorphic and possesses moderate genetic informativeness in Pasundan cattle. However, polymorphisms were not significantly associated with performance traits in Pasundan heifers. To validate these findings and assess the potential application of MFGE8 as a molecular marker in marker-assisted selection programs for Pasundan cattle, further studies using larger populations are required.