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This study aimed to identify SNPs in the intron, exon, and UTR regions of the FASN, DGAT1, and PPARGC1A genes and to investigate their possible association with milk yield and composition traits in the riverine buffalo of Bangladesh. A total of 150 DNA samples from riverine buffalo were used for PCR amplification with five pairs of primers, followed by association studies using a generalized linear model in R. SNP genotyping was performed by direct sequencing of the respective amplicon. Traits analyzed included DMY, fat%, protein%, and SNF%. This study identified 8 SNPs in FASN (g.7163G>A and g.7271C>T), DGAT1 (g.7809C>T and g.8525C>T) and PPARGC1A (g.387642C>T, g.387758A>G, g.409354A>G, and g.409452G>A). Genotypic and allelic frequencies differed significantly for each SNP genotype and did not follow the Hardy–Weinberg principle (p < 0.01 or p < 0.001) in most cases. The g.7163G>A and g.7271C>T SNP genotypes of the FASN gene were significantly associated with milk fat%, with the latter also significantly associated with SNF%. The g.8525C>T polymorphism of the DGAT1 gene significantly affected protein% (p < 0.01). Additionally, PPARGC1A gene polymorphisms showed significant associations: g.387642C>T with fat% (p < 0.05); g.387758A>G and g.409354A>G with protein% (p < 0.001) and SNF% (p < 0.01); and g.409452G>A with DMY (p < 0.001), fat% (p < 0.05), and protein% (p < 0.01). Reconstructed haplotypes of the PPARGC1A gene were significantly associated (p < 0.01) with all traits except SNF%. These findings suggest that polymorphisms in these three candidate genes have the potential as molecular markers for improving milk yield and composition traits in the riverine buffalo of Bangladesh.

Indigenous sheep are highly adaptable and widely distributed in different regions of Bangladesh. They are famous for their tolerance to harsh environmental conditions, low demand for feed, and disease resistance with minimum or no housing and management facilities. Ample indiscrimi¬nate research reports and case studies on the native sheep of Bangladesh have been published. Nonetheless, a comprehensive review of reproductive and productive performances, as well as their various morphometric physiognomies and climate resilience capabilities, is lacking. This review was designed to explore and summarize the available research reports on indigenous sheep to highlight the gaps and provide an updated database for the future research plan for sustainable native sheep production in Bangladesh. It covers studies on sheep biodiversity, their adaptabil¬ity to the local environment, morphometric features, feeding and nutrition, reproduction and production performances, diseases and health management, and the problems and prospects of sheep farming in Bangladesh. Due to the increased demand for animal protein, especially red meat, the scope of sheep farming increases along with that of other large and small ruminants. The vital constraints of sheep production in Bangladesh include insufficient feed and fodder sup¬ply with its high prices, higher disease occurrence with low or no management practices, kid mortality, and a poor marketing channel with the lower popularity of sheep meat than goat meat. Future research would be a prerequisite to measuring the impact of native sheep on household economies and food security during the year, evaluating the other challenges, and finding out the possible interventions in the fields of nutrition, reproduction, and health management. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022; 9(4.000): 649-662]