Evaluation of the presence of leukocyte adhesion deficiency (BLAD) disease in Holstein cows in Iranian sperm production stations

Abstract

Introduction: One of the problems of sperm production stations and breeding centers is the death
of calves that do not reach the stage of sperm production and economic useful life. Various cases
can be involved in this. Bulls that are used in artificial insemination despite Natural appearance
may have mutated genes that, due to their unrecognized and distributed sperm, cause the spread of
various genetic defects. One of these genetic defects is BLAD, an autosomal recessive genetic
disease caused by a defect in the surface glycoproteins of leukocytes known as integrins. These
proteins are responsible for the cell-cell binding reaction that is required for neutrophils to attach
to the endothelial network and enter tissues and repel pathogen attacks. They disappear before the
age of one. So far, the disease has been seen in Holstein cows. If two recessive genes intersect, one
in a male and the other in a female, 25% of the offspring become homozygous. The use of bull
sperm in artificial insemination centers (AI) as well as in embryo transfer increases the risk of such
diseases, so it is necessary to check the sperm and embryos before use in these centers. The aim of
this study was to identify the carriers of these genes to prevent them from crossing and to prevent
the spread of this disease.
Materials & Methods: In this study, in order to identify the presence of BLAD disease gene in
some bulls in the country, the study of biological samples of 230 bulls in Iranian sperm production
stations was evaluated .For this study, primers with lengths of 18 and 29 nucleotides were used to
amplify the bp58 fragment and to investigate the presence of the mutant. After observing the 58 bp
fragment for the presence or absence of mutations in the PCR product, TaqI and HaeIII enzymes
were used by RFLP method.
Results: By examining this number of samples, 225 normal homozygous animals and 5
heterozygous animals were identified.
Conclusion: With careful planning and control and identification of mutated alleles, it is possible
to eliminate this disease in Iran.