Bos indicus, (Vechur breed), being an indigenous cow of Kerala needs greater
attention for its survival since the breed is facing extinction. Due to the lack of appropriate
scientific studies for highlighting the therapeutic potential of the milk of Vechur cow and
its unique medicinal properties, this critical breed has not gained sufficient and required
acceptance among farmers and it became a negative factor for the conservation of this
domestic animal. Most of the traditional concepts associated with Vechur cow like disease
resistance, medicinal property of milk have remained as mere field observations since the
authenticity of these features has not yet been proven successfully with solid evidence.
Hence the existence of Vechur cow in the livestock industry is still a questionable matter.
The data of the present study on the structural and functional features of the lactoferrin
gene of the Vechur cow demonstrates SNPs, amino acid substitutions, binding pockets and
the secondary and tertiary structure of the gene compared to Bos taurus. Along with the
genomic features, the gene was successfully expressed for the production of recombinant
Bovine lactoferrin protein (rBLf) in eukaryotic system using a Pore2 vector and CAMV35S
promoter. The bactericidal property exhibited by rBLf protein in suppressing the growth of
both gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains viz. E.coli, Streptococcus sps, and
Staphylococcus aureus has highlighted the relevance of lactoferrin protein of Vechur cow
milk in drug industry.
Keywords: Amino acid, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antitumor, bactericidal
property, Bos indicus, Bos Taurus, Bovine Lactoferrin, disease resistance, E. coli,
glycoprotein, medicinal properties, milk, nucleotide polymorphism, nutrition,
potential immunostimulant, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, therapeutic value,
Vechur cow.
