Genetic polymorphism of the serum proteins of horses in Jeju.

The research examines the genetic diversity of serum proteins among three horse groups on Jeju Island. Variations were found among the three groups, possibly implying cross-breeding in one of the groups.

Objective of the Study

• The objective of this study was to look into the genetic polymorphism (genetic variability) of serum proteins in different groups of horses in Jeju.

Methods Used

• The scientists grouped the horses into the following categories: 45 Jeju native horses (CNH), 60 Cheju racing horses (CRH) and 60 Thoroughbreds (TB).
• They analyzed the genotypes and gene frequencies of serum proteins using horizontal polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (HPAGE). The proteins they analyzed included albumin (Alb), vitamin-D binding protein(GC), esterase (ES), A1B glycoprotein(A1B) and transferrin(TF).

Findings of the Study

• The researchers found that all the serum protein loci studied, apart from A1B in TB, demonstrated polymorphisms, with various allelic and phenotypic frequencies in all three horse groups.
• Two serum proteins, ESS and TFF1, were not observed in CNH. Allelic frequencies of AlbB, ESI, TFD and TFF1 were found to be high in TB.
• Except for the ES locus in CRH, all the other loci were observed to be in a state of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, which suggests that the horse populations were stable with no specific alleles being selected for or against.
• The loci Alb, ES, and TF had high heterozygosity estimates, whereas GC and A1B had low heterozygosity in all three horse groups. Average heterozygosities in CNH, CRH and TB were 0.3535, 0.3555 and 0.2726, respectively. Heterozygosity is a measure of genetic diversity within a population.

Conclusion of the Study

• Results showed differences in the frequencies of alleles and phenotypes of several serum protein loci between CNH and CRH, implying that CRH may have been crossed with other horse breeds to some degree.