CYP19 (cytochrome P450 aromatase) gene polymorphism in murrah buffalo heifers of different fertility performance

The most common cause of infertility in buffaloes is anestrum. During late maturity the ovaries are in a state of true anestrum. One of the predominant causes of true anestrum is a low level of ovarian estrogens. The key enzyme in estrogen biosynthesis is cytochrome P450 aromatase, encoded by CYP19 gene. In the present study, CYP19 gene polymorphism was analyzed by Single Strand Conformational Polymorphism (SSCP) in buffaloes of different fertility performance. The SSCP and sequence analysis revealed 4 allelic variants in coding exons and introns which unaltered the protein sequence. However, a significant polymorphism (T/C heterozygote) was found near TATA binding protein region in regulatory part (a facet of promoter II) at position 23 of CYP19 exon 2, in all late matured and 50% of late maturing animals. Based on these observations and remarks of earlier workers, a hypothesis is proposed for the physiology of late maturity in buffaloes.