Identification of a 20-bp InDel polymorphism in the COL14A1 gene in Malabari goats

Insertion–deletion (InDel) polymorphisms are important genomic variants with potential utility as markers for economically important traits in livestock. The present study characterised a 20-bp InDel in the Collagen type XIV alpha 1 chain (COL14A1) gene and genotyped in 153 adult female Malabari goats. The variant was located in a 3′ untranslated region/splice-associated region and genotyped by PCR-based agarose gel electrophoresis. The II, ID and DD genotype frequencies were 0.431, 0.405 and 0.163, respectively, with insertion and deletion allele frequencies of 0.6340 and 0.3660. The locus was in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (χ2 = 2.592; P = 0.1074). These findings provide baseline information on COL14A1 variation in Malabari goats and warrant validation in larger and genetically diverse populations.