Polymorphisms of Tyrosinase gene (Exon 1) and its impact on coat color and phenotypic measurements of Sudanese Camel Breeds

The objectives of the present study were the detection of allelic variants of tyrosinase (TYR) gene (Exon 1) in six Sudanese camel breeds (Kenani, Lahwee, Rashaidi, Anafi, Bishari and Kabbashi) and afford the chance of investigating the possibility of the presence of associations between coat color and body measurements with SNPs of the TYR gene (Exon 1). The gene and genotypic frequencies of TYR gene in Sudanese camel breeds were studied using PCR-RFLP analyses. Genomic DNA samples were obtained from 181 mature unrelated animals representing the six tested camel breeds. The results showed insignificant differences in the allele frequency between the breeds. Kenani and Anafi camels had slightly higher T allele frequency (0.21 and 0.20) than those of Lahwee, Kabbashi and Bishari camels, while the Rashaidi camel had the lowest T allele frequency (0.08). The genotype frequencies for all breeds obtained were 0.02, 0.25 and 0.72 for TT, TC and CC genotypes respectively. The genotype TT was detected only in Lahwee and Anafi camels. The analysis of variance showed that the age and breed of camel significantly influenced barrel girth, heart girth and body weight, however, the sex of camel significantly affected heart girth, shoulder height and body weight. On the other hand, the TYR genotype was significantly affect shoulder height but had no significant influence on the other tested traits. The results also revealed that insignificant association between camel coat colour and TYR genotypes. Further studies with larger numbers of animals are required in the future to investigate or verify these associations.