Associations between polymorphisms of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) and pituitary transcription factor 1 (PIT1) genes and production traits of Limousine cattle

Abstract. Associations between polymorphism of the bovine growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) and pituitary transcription factor 1 (PIT1) genes and production traits of Limousine cattle were analysed. A total of 130 calves were included in the study. PCR-RFLP method was used for genotyping. The frequencies of genotypes and alleles of PIT1 and GHRH were as follows: 0.0692 – AA, 0.4077 – AB, 0.5231 – BB, and 0.2731 for PIT1^A, 0.7269 for PIT1^B; 0.0154 – AA, 0.1692 – AB, 0.8154 – BB, and 0.1 for GHRH^A, 0.9 for GHRH^B. Associations between polymorphism and production traits of Limousine calves were found. Statistically significant differences (P ≤ 0.01) between individuals of different GHRH genotypes were found in relation to height at sacrum (cm) and height at withers (cm) at 210th day of age. The calves with AA genotype of GHRH were shorter (−8,14 and −8,33 cm) than AB and BB individuals (P ≤ 0.01). The small number of calves with the AA genotype did not enable important conclusions.