Genetic variants of , and genes and their association with dairy production traits in Sahiwal cattle and Nili-Ravi buffaloes.

Milk protein genes are associated with milk yield and composition in dairy animals. The present study aimed to identify milk protein genes (, , , and ) genetic variants and their association with milk yield in Sahiwal cattle and Nili-Ravi buffaloes. One hundred animals from each species were selected to collect blood samples and milk production records. Primers were designed for these milk protein genes for PCR amplification. Sequencing of resultant PCR products revealed a higher number of SNPs (13 7, 5 1, and 6 2) in Sahiwal as compared to Nili-Ravi animals in , , and genes, respectively. However, a single SNP was observed in gene of both species. Association analysis revealed that one SNP in gene of Nili-Ravi was associated ( < 0.05) with 305-day milk yield. Two SNPs at gene in Sahiwal were associated with dry-period. Similarly, one SNP at and two SNPs at gene showed significant association ( < 0.05) with average calving-interval in Sahiwal while two SNPs in gene were associated ( < 0.05) with this trait in Nili-Ravi. These SNPs could be helpful as candidate variants for marker-assisted selection in cattle and buffaloes for improvement of lactation performance.