Animal Genetics Division, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243 122, India.
* Corresponding author, Tel: +91-581-2303382, Fax: +91-581-2303284, E-mail: subkum@gmail.com, subodh@ivri.up.nic.in.
Present address:1 SKUAST, Jammu.
A 2310-bp long buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) cDNA sequence of Integrin b2 (ITGB2) gene was characterized. At nucleotide sequence level, buffalo ITGB2 exhibited 96–98% homologies with other ruminants like cattle, bison, sheep, goat and deer. In coding region, total thirty two nucleotide differences have been observed between buffalo and cattle sequences including 15 non-homologous substitutions. Importantly, a conserved site (22) in PSI domain of the ruminants (Thr) was substituted in buffalo (Ala) indicating normal function of the integrin unless the second mutation in CD11c molecule coexists. Buffalo ITGB2 has seven differences in I-like domain region as compared to cattle. The transmembrane and cytoplasmic regions were highly conserved among buffalo and other ruminants. High homology and close phylogenetic association among ITGB2 sequences of the ruminants including buffalo indicates highly conserved nature of the gene.
Bubalus bubalis, buffalo, cDNA, integrin, phylogeny, ITGB2
