PhD

Realising the importance of blood groups and
biochemical polymorphism in livestock improvement a
study was undertaken in 305 adult goats of Malabari
breed and its exotic crosses viz. Saanen x Malabari and
Alpine x Malabari, to identify the blood group factors
and polymorphism, if any, at haemoglobin, potassium
and erythrocyte glutathione (GSH) loci and their
utility as genetic markers for selection. Standard
haemolytic test and absorption technique were
performed to produce monovalent reagents and to
type the goats. The different haemoglobin types were
detected
employing
horizontal
starch
gel
electrophoresis. The potassium concentration in whole
blood and the GSH concentration in erythrocytes were
estimated by Flamephotometry and Spectrophotmetry
respectively.
Twelve blood group reagents M1, M2, M3, M4,
M5, M6, M7, M8, M9, M10, M11 and M12 were
produced during the present study from the nineteen
polyvalent goat sera obtained from Switzerland. The
phenotypic frequencies of different blood group
factors were different from each other among the three
genetic groups. The blood group factors M4, M10 and
M12 were not observed in the Malabari goats.
In electrophoretic separation, 94 per cent of the
goats showed only one haemoglobin band (HbAA) and
six per cent showed two bands (HbAB). HbBB was not
observed in any of the genetic groups. Inheritance
pattern of Hb alleles revealed that they inherit as
autosomal co-dominant alleles. The frequency of HbA
allele was 0.98 in Malabari and Saanen x Malabari and
0.97 in Alpine x Malabari, the difference being non
significant. It was observed that the goat populations
were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium with respect to
the haemoglobin locus.
The genetic group had no effect on the
concentration
of
whole
blood
potassium.
The
frequency distribution of potassium concentration in
the pooled population showed a distinct bimodality, on
the basis of which the goats were classified into two
distinct types viz. LK ( < 22 meq/1) and HK ( > 22
meq/1). 76.39 per cent of the pooled population were
the LK type, a situation not reported in Indian goats.
The potassium phenotypes are controlled by two
autosomal alleles, KL (determining LK) and KH
(determining HK), the KL being dominant over KH.
The gene frequencies of KL and KH were 0.53 and 0.47
in Malabari, 0.50 and 0.50 in Saanen x Malabari and
0.52 and 0.48 in Alpine x Malabari, the difference
among the three genetic groups being non significant.
The genetic groups had significant effect on the
potassium concentration in LK type goats, but such
effect was not noticed in HK type goats.
The genetic groups had significant effect on the
erythrocyte glutathione (GSH) concentration. The
frequency distribution of GSH concentration in the
pooled population revealed a bimodality. Goats with
GSH concentration of > 60 mg/100 ml RBC were
classified as GSH-high type and those with < 60
mg/100 ml RBC were classified as GSH-low type. The
frequency percentage of GSH-high type in the pooled
population was 85.26. Among the three genetic groups,
Alpine x Malabari had the highest frequency of 88.48
per cent and Malabari had the lowest frequency of
76.56 per cent. Inheritance pattern of GSH phenotypes
showed that in goats GSH types are controlled by two
autosomal alleles GSHH (determining GSH-high type)
and GSHh (determining GSH-low type), the GSHH
being dominant over GSHh. The frequencies of GSHH
and GSHh were 0.51 and 0.49 in Malabari, 0.62 and
0.38 in Saanen x Malabari and 0.66 and 0.34 in Alpine
x Malabari, without any significant differences among
the genetic groups.
The frequencies of potassium and GSH alleles
and also their concentration did not change over the
two generation in any of the genetic groups except in
Saanen
x
Malabari,
wherein
the
mean
GSH
concentration GSH-high type goats of third generation
was significantly higher than that of the second
generation. Sex did not influence the concentration of
potassium and GSH.
A valid conclusion could not be drawn on the
effect of sire on the potassium and GSH concentration
in its offspring.
Studies revealed that haemoglobin, potassium
and
GSH
were
not
genetically
associated.
Haemoglobin type had no effect on packed cell volume
and concentration of potassium and GSH. The LK
type goats had significantly higher packed cell volume
in all the genetic groups. The potassium type had no
effect on the concentration of GSH in the crossbred
goats but in Malabari the HK types had significantly
higher concentration in GSH than that of LK types.
Goats with HbAA phenotype had heavier body
weight at different ages when compared to that of
HbAB type. However, the differences was significantly
only for the weight at one year in Malabari and weight
at nine months in crossbreds. Haemoglobin type had
no effect on the production traits. In general, the
growth and production traits were not seen influenced
by the potassium and GSH types.