Effects of casein haplotypes on milk production traits in Italian Holstein and Brown Swiss cattle

The objective of this study was to estimate the effects of different haplotypes of the casein genes on milk production traits in Italian dairy cattle. Traits of interest were yields of milk, fat, and protein, and percentages of fat and protein in milk. The data included 728 multiparous records from 347 Holsteins and 773 records from 298 Brown Swiss cows. Records were preadjusted for effects of age and parity, season of calving, and region, and expressed as deviations from herdmate averages. Twenty half-sib families were represented in each breed. Haplotype probabilities were estimated for each animal and phenotypes were regressed on these probabilities. Nine haplotypes were observed in Holsteins and 17 were identified among the Brown Swiss. For Holsteins, significant effects were observed for protein percentage, with some indication of an effect for fat percentage. For the Brown Swiss, effects of haplotypes were significant for milk yield and fat and protein percentages. Effects were strongest for protein percentage. Correlation coefficients of solutions across breeds tended to be strong and positive, indicating that the same haplotypes had similar estimated effects in the 2 breeds. Although the data were limited (<350 cows in each study), this latter result may suggest that genes in the casein complex itself are responsible for the effects observed, rather than loci that are physically linked on either side of the casein cluster.