Sequence Analysis and Phylogenetic Relationship of Myostatin Gene of Bikaneri Camel (Camelus dromedarius) Agrawal V.K., Gahlot G.C., Ashraf M., Khicher J.P., Thakur S. Molecular Genetics Laboratory, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bikaner-334001, India *email: drvijayvet2016@rediffmail.com
Online published on 31 August, 2017. Abstract The draught potential of the Bikaneri camel depends on the gene affecting the muscular growth. Myostatin (MSTN) or growth and differentiation factor (GDF8) gene is the major regulator of myogenesis and skeletal muscle growth in mammals. Genomic DNA was isolated from whole blood of randomly selected Bikaneri camels (n=6) through spin column method. The MSTN exon-2 region of 375 bp was amplified using primers designed from homologous regions of MSTN gene sequence (GenBank accession number. DQ167575). The PCR amplified fragments of all the animals were sequenced through Sanger dideoxy chain termination method. The sequence of MSTN exon-2 gene was submitted to NCBI GenBank database to which an accession number KX863740 was assigned. A Neighborhood Joining (NJ) phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the lowest Bayesian Information Content (BIC) value. Sequence comparison of MSTN exon-2 gene of Bikaneri camel with homologous regions of goat, sheep, Algerian camel, buffalo, horse and pig revealed more than 95% homology. The sequence information generated for MSTN gene of Bikaneri camel would help in better understanding of growth traits and could support in conservation of dwindling camel population in Rajasthan. Top Keywords Bikaneri camel, growth, myostatin gene, sequence analysis. Top |