Cytogenetic study of the Ukrainian river buffalo (Bubalus bubalis bubalis)

Introduction. The article presents the results of the exploration of the karyotype of the Ukrainian population of river buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis bubalis), which are bred in Ukraine in the household of Sviato-Pokrovska Holosiivska Pustyn monastery. Materials and Methods. Chromosome preparations were obtained from cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes. Whole venous blood (5 mL) was cultured for 48 h at 37 °C in RPMI 1640 medium (Sigma, USA) supplemented with 0.1 mL/mL phytohemagglutinin (PHA, Sigma, USA) and 15% fetal calf serum. Colchicine (Serva, Germany, 10 μg/mL) was added 2 h before harvest to arrest cell division. Chromosomal preparations were stained with 2% Giemsa solution (Merck) and analyzed at 1000x magnification using an Axiostar plus microscope (Carl Zeiss, Germany). Routine, G-, and Ag-banding were performed to determine the spontaneous rate of chromosome aberrations and the level of chromosomal variability. Metaphase spreads were photographed with an Olympus D-460 ZOOM digital camera. Statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel 2010. Results. The diploid chromosomal set of the studied animals consists of 50 chromosomes (2n = 48, XX; 2n = 48, XY). Aneuploid and polyploid cells were discove­red at rates 7.70±1.59 % and 0.35±0.053 % respectively, as well as cells with structural aberrations of autosomes. The overall rate of cells with dysfunctions amounted to 12.55±2.00 %. The rate of chromosomal aberrations in males and females diffe­red insignificantly and amounted to 12.60 % and 11.30 % respectively. We detected individuals with cells with monosomy X0. Ag-banding revealed nucleolus organizer regions (NOR) in six chromosomes of the karyotype of the studied buffaloes – 3, 4, 6, 21, 23, 24. Individual variation of animals by the NOR number was deduced from 1 to 12 per cell, with an average of 2,82. Conclusions. Cytogenetic research can be used for the preservation of diversity and improvement of breeding programs for the Ukrainian river buffalo population.