A genetic study of bovine lymphocyte antigens (BoLA) and their frequency in several breeds.

Using sera which defined the BoLA specificities at the two International BoLA workshops (Edinburgh, 1978 and Wageningen, 1980) and the European Regional workshop (Paris, 1979), 142 informative matings from 15 bulls have been studied. On the basis of this data, 11 of the 15 internationally agreed specificities and one of the regionally defined specificities behave as if controlled by alleles at a single autosomal locus. Data has not as yet been obtained for the other four internationally agreed specificities which are also believed to be at this locus. - The frequencies of 13 of the internationally agreed specificities and one of the regionally defined specificities have been studied for both sexes in one breed and for a single sex in another five breeds. The other two internationally agreed specificities are very recent and the populations have not been tested for them. The frequencies between sexes within a breed and within sexes between breeds differ significantly.