bioRxiv2018
Concerns over environmental heat stress have increased in recent years with the realization of global warming effects on environment and subsequently on animal production. Heat stress indicators help to monitor adaptability and survivability of livestock to thermal assault; a consequent effect of global warming. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are highly conserved and are classified into six groups. Heat shock protein (HSP) 70 gene is a member of molecular chaperone, known to be highly expressed under stressful environmental and physiological conditions. In this study, we used a one-step qReal-Time PCR, followed by high-resolution melting analyses (HRMA) for detection and identification of polymorphism of HSP-70 gene in four extant cattle breeds of (White Fulani, Sokoto Gudali, Red Bororo and Ambala). qRT-PCR/HRMA-based assay detected twelve (12) genetic variant groups of HSP-70 gene. Ambala breed of Nigerian Zebu cattle had the highest number (7) of genetic variants of HSP-70 gene followed by Red Bororo breed (6 genetic variants), Sokoto Gudali breed had 5 genetic variants while White Fulani breed had the least (4 genetic variants) number of genetic variants in the population of Nigerian Zebu cattle breeds examined. We therefore hypothesize that the detected variant groups can be interrogated for their possible effects on thermo-tolerance performance of zebu cattle bred under thermal assaults of tropical conditions.