The casein alpha s1 (CSN1S1) gene plays an important role in milk protein synthesis and has been associated with milk quality and calcium-related physiological processes in mammals. To date, 19 CSN1S1 variants have been reported. Among them, the CSN1S101 allele has been described as a key “null” variant that may influence goat milk production traits through its effect on CSN1S1 gene expression. However, the association between this allele and economically important traits in goats remains poorly understood. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the CSN1S101 allele in goats using economical and rapid approaches, including mathematical expectation (ME) analysis and allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR), and to evaluate its association with economic traits in Chinese goat breeds. A total of 2319 goats from 11 breeds were analyzed. Compared with the “0” allele, the “1” allele showed a higher frequency across all populations and exhibited low genetic diversity. Significant associations were detected between CSN1S101 genotypes and body length, third parity, and average kidding number in Laoshan dairy goats (p < 0.05). In addition, the low-frequency distribution of the CSN1S1 “0” allele was further confirmed. Overall, this study provides population-based association evidence supporting the consideration of CSN1S101 genetic variation in goat breeding programs.
Wang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.