Research & Reviews: Journal of Veterinary Sciences 34 RRJVS| Volume 2 | Issue 1 | March, 2016 Transcriptional Stability of Heat Shock Protein Genes and Cell Pro- liferation Rate Provides an Evidence of Superior Cellular Tolerance of Sahiwal (Bos indicus) Cow PBMCs to Summer Stress Amit Kishore, Monika Sodhi, Ankita Sharma, Umesh K Shandilya, Ashok Mohanty, Preeti Verma, Sandeep Mann, Manishi Mukesh* Animal Biotechnology Division, ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal-132 001, Haryana, India. Research Article INTRODUCTION India is bestowed with immense richness of agricultural biodiversity wherein farm animal biodiversity plays a predominant role in the rural economy. A large and divergent range of agro-ecological zones in India has helped to develop signifcant number of naturally evolved cattle and riverine buffalo breeds. Indian native cattle (Bos indicus) and buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) are recognized as major milk producing species in the Indian sub-continent and hence their production performance during summer stress is of great signifcance to both farmers as well as dairy sector. The native cattle genetic resources are the backbone of the farmer’s economy since centuries producing milk as well as draft power. India has over 204.58 million or approximately over 15.97% of the total world cattle population and is home to some of the best zebu (Bos indicus) breeds represented by 37 well-defned breeds. Besides these, many lesser known cattle populations are also spread out in the length and breadth of the country each having its own special features. Many of these breeds have potential of not only surviving but also to sustain production, reproduction and draught power under various harsh climatic conditions. The Indian native cattle viz. Tharparkar, Hariana, Sahiwal, Rathi, Gir, Kankrej and Nagori etc. are known for their adaptability to high temperature, production potential ABSTRACT Seasonal variation imparts environmental stress in dairy animals, and impairs animal health and productivity. In order to measure the performance ability of a particular breed/animal towards heat stress, it is imperative to determine its thermotolerance ability. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperons that maintain native conformation of proteins and cell viability during stress period. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) have been widely utilized as a cellular model to understand the differential heat shock response across livestock species. The present investigation was attempted with the assumption that seasonal variation can lead to changes in the level of heat shock protein transcripts in dairy breeds. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the transcriptional stability of heat shock protein family genes and cell proliferation rate in Sahiwal cows (Bos indicus), Holstein cows (Bos taurus) and Murrah buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis). The basal expression level of heat shock protein family genes (HSP27, HSP40, HSP60, HSP70 and HSP90) were analysed in PBMCs during peak summer and winter seasons. In comparison to Sahiwal cows and Murrah buffaloes, relative expression data showed signifcant induction of HSP70, HSP40, HSP60 and HSP90 mRNA in HF cows during summer stress. The cell proliferation data further indicated signifcant (p<0.05) inhibition of cell proliferation in Holstein cows during summer stress. Overall data on transcriptional stability of HSPs mRNA and cell proliferation suggested better survivability of Sahiwal cows PBMCs to summer stress in comparison to HF cows. Received date: 02/10/2015 Accepted date: 06/01/2016 Published date: 08/01/2016 *For Correspondence Animal Biotechnology Division, ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal- 132 001, Haryana, India, Tel: 91 184 2267918. E-mail: mmukesh_26@hotmail.com Keywords: Heat shock protein (HSP) genes, Gene expression, Cell proliferation rate, Summer stress, Sahiwal cows, Holstein cows.