Cholesterol deficiency mutation HCD does not impact milk productivity and blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in Russian Holstein black and white cattle

The spread of lethal and semi-lethal mutations in cattle populations results in embryonic and postembryonic mortality of calves. The use of a limited number of sires creates the danger of wide spread of genetic abnormalities. Genetic markers identify carriers of a mutation in the absence of information about phenotypic manifestations of the disease. Cholesterol deficiency mutation (HCD, haplotype cholesterol deficiency), a recessive defect of Holstein cattle, is characterized by the death of calves in the first days or months of life. The extent of this genetic defect worldwide is currently very high, 6 to 17 %. In general, there is little information about the relationship of recessive mutations with dairy cattle productivity, and data on the effect of the HCD mutation, first described in 2015, on breeding traits are extremely limited. This paper is the first to report data on a genetic study of the APOB gene region on the BTA11 chromosome and milk production indices depending on the HCD status in a Russian dairy cow population...