Genetic variation of two horse breeds in CpG islands of OAS1 locus

Abstract

Allelic and haplotypic variations at 27 SNP sites identified in four CpG islands of OAS1 were described in a group of Anglo-Arabian and Hucul horses. Variation in the type of less frequent alleles was the source of variability among breeds. A number of putative LD blocks were identified which could be used to study changes in the genetic structure between generations of both breeds concerning susceptibility to flaviviral infections. Some of the identified SNPs may have an impact on the transcriptional activity of OAS1 or could lead to amino acid substitution influencing proper function of OAS1 enzyme. In the light of recent studies, the described genetic variability of investigated CpG islands might be important in view of the effectiveness of viral incorporation into the host genome.