# Milk somatic cell DNA isolation and characterization of κ-casein gene in Halari donkey milk

## TL;DR

This study successfully isolated DNA from milk cells of Halari donkeys and identified the presence of the k-casein gene, which is important for milk composition and allergy research.

## Contribution

The first successful isolation and characterization of the k-casein gene from milk somatic cells of Halari donkeys.

## Key findings

- DNA was successfully isolated from milk somatic cells of Halari donkeys.
- The k-casein gene was amplified from the isolated DNA, confirming its presence.
- Milk somatic cells were shown to be a viable non-invasive source for DNA isolation.

## Abstract

Halari donkey breed is one of the indigenous breeds of India and its population is rapidly decreasing. The Jenny milk is more similar to human milk, exhibits a wide range of probiotic diversity and hypo-allergenicity, especially among infants suffering from cow and buffalo milk protein allergy. Some studies indicated low levels of κ-casein fraction of casein protein in donkey milk. The k-casein gene was not amplified from the DNA derived from the milk somatic cells of Halari donkeys. The Halari donkey milk has low somatic cells count. We report the first isolation of DNA from milk somatic cells of Halari donkeys with subsequent characterization of k-casein gene. Through our work, we showed that the milk somatic cells can be used as a non-invasive source for DNA isolation towards molecular studies. It also proved the presence of k-casein gene in Halari donkey milk by its amplification from isolated DNA.