Molecular Characterization of Coding Region of Partial N-lobe of Malabari Goat Lactoferrin

Lactoferrin (Lf), an 80 kDa glycoprotein, is present in milk and other exocrine secretions. It is considered as a “moonlighting” protein because of its diverse functions, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and anti-neoplastic activities. The present study shows the molecular characterization of partial coding region of N-lobe of lactoferrin (Lf) gene of Malabari goat breed of Kerala, which are reputed for their sturdiness and resistance to diseases. The RNA was isolated from the milk somatic cells of Malabari goat, followed by cDNA synthesis and subsequent amplification of partial coding region of N-lobe of Lf gene. The amplicons were sequenced and the sequences were analyzed using various bioinformatics tools. A 813 bp long partial coding region encoding 274 amino acids was obtained for Malabari goats. The sequences of both the breeds were 94-99% similar to Lf gene of other ruminant species. Six nucleotide variations were observed in Malabari of which four variations were non-synonymous leading to amino acid variations as compared to C. hircus. This is the first research to concentrate on of cDNA sequence and nucleotide variations of N-lobe of Lf gene of the Malabari goat of Kerala.

• The N-lobe of Malabari goat Lf gene was sequenced.

• In-silico analysis revealed the Malabari goat Lf to possess unique variations in the nucleotide and amino acid sequence in comparison with the C. hircus gene sequence.