Comparative analysis of IGFBP-3 gene sequence in Egyptian sheep, cattle and buffalo
Abstract Objective: A total of 205 animals from four Egyptian livestock species were used in this study to detect polymorphism and perform comparative analysis for IGFBP-3 gene using DNA sequencing and (PCR-RFLP). Results: The digestion of 654 bp with HaeIII restriction enzyme yielded a single restriction pattern of eight fragments in sheep revealing the absence of polymorphism, while in cattle 3 genotypes were identified; (AA), (AB), and (BB). Moreover, one genotype (AA) only was found in buffalo using HeaIII and MspI restriction enzymes, separately. Digestion profile for a goat with HaeIII revealed only one pattern for three DNA fragments, which means the absence of polymorphism within the IGFBP-3 gene in the tested goats. The nucleotide sequencing analysis indicated similarity percentages in IGFBP-3 gene fragments of 77, 30 and 58% between ''sheep and cattle '', ''sheep and buffalo '', and ''cattle and buffalo'', respectively.