Abstract

BMP 15 is a member of transforming growth factor-β (TGF- β) superfamily which plays a crucial role in ovarian follicular development and ovulation rate. In this study a partial sequence of this gene was screened for polymorphisms. PCR amplification of DNA isolated from blood of 100 Egyptian buffaloes heifers (50 infertile and 50 normal). Revealed two loci, BMP15.1 (334 bp) which includes exon 1 and partial intron 1 and BMP15.2 (272 bp) which spans partial 5UTR and exon 1. Polymorphisms in these two loci were detected by using direct sequencing and single strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) technique. A single pattern of SSCP was detected. This was confirmed by nucleotide sequencing which revealed absence of single nucleotides polymorphisms (SNPs) or any other type of polymorphisms in the two loci. The sequencing and PCR-SSCP patterns revealed no polymorphism in all studied animals.

Key words: BMP15 gene, polymorphism, Egyptian buffalo, infertility, PCR-SSCP.