Genotyping and m-RNA expression analysis of heat shock factor (HSF-1) gene in lactating goat during heat stress

Heat shock factors (HSFs) are essential for cells to respond to thermal stress, activating genes that protect the cells. Different HSFs help cells respond to various environmental and physiological changes. The present study was conducted to assess the impact of thermal stress on goats with different genotypes. The variation in DNA Indian goat breeds and effect of thermal stress on mRNA levels of HSF-1 gene was studied. Genotyping of the HSF-1 gene was performed in four Indian goat breeds using high resolution melting (HRM). Out of the 138 samples, the distribution percentages of different genotypes were 60.87% (AA/blue), 17.39% (AC/red) and 13.04% (CC/green) and 8.70 (AT/Pink). Caprine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were used to extract total RNA, which was transcribed into cDNA. The relative expression patterns of the HSF1 gene were assessed in Jamunapari goats with differing milk yields under heat stress phenotypes (HST and HSS). Low milk yield goats with the HSS phenotype exhibited a relative expression 0.7072-fold change, while those with the HST phenotype showed 0.7846- fold change. High milk yield goats with the HSS phenotype demonstrated 0.4928, and those with the HST phenotype exhibited 0.3694. However, the expression pattern of the HSF1 gene did not differ statistically between the groups. The regulation of the HSF1 gene may be attributed to the lower magnitude of heat stress in this study, which was insufficient to induce a robust cellular stress response in lactating Jamunapari goats. These findings provide insights into the genetic and phenotypic factors influencing heat stress resilience and milk production in Jamunapari goats. Understanding these factors is crucial for developing improved breeding strategies aimed at enhancing heat tolerance and productivity in this breed.