PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION ON A SNP IN THE PROMOTER REGION OF THE SIRT1 GENE IN PODOLICA YOUNG BULLS: RELATIONSHIP WITH SOME GROWTH TRAITS

The mammalian sirtuin family consists of seven members, SIRT1-7. SIRT1, the most investigated sirtuin, plays a key role in many biological processes in liver, adipose tissue, muscle, pancreas, testis, ovary and mammary gland to regulate gene transcription, DNA repair, genome stability, cell proliferation, cell survival and apoptosis and energy metabolism interacting with several transcription factors in accordance with its role in gene silencing and heterochromatin formation. The aims of the present study were to estimate the allele and genotype frequencies of a polymorphism in the promoter region of the SIRT1 gene (g.25846A>G) and to investigate the possible relationship among different genotypes and some growth traits in a sample of young bulls belonging to Podolica breed, an autochthonous Italian cattle breed. The investigated population was found to be polymorphic at the SIRT1 g.25846A>G locus and the frequencies of A and G alleles were 0.875 and 0.125, respectively. No significant difference was found by comparing growth traits of AA and GG animals.