Data from: Variation in salivary and pancreatic alpha-amylase genes in Italian horse breeds

The dietary demand of the modern horse relies on high-cereal feeding and limited forage compared to natural grazing conditions, predisposing the horse to several important diseases. Salivary and pancreatic alpha-amylases (coded by AMY1 and AMY2 genes, respectively) play a crucial role in carbohydrate digestion in non-ruminants, but little is known about these two genes in the horse. Aim of this work has been to distinguish genomic sequences of horse AMY1 and AMY2 genes and to analyze any polymorphisms in breeds historically characterized by marked differences in nutritional management. A SNP detection was performed and seven novel SNPs were found. Three SNPs are in exons and were genotyped in 121 horses belonging to six breeds. One SNP in AMY1 gene distinguished Haflinger and the Italian native Murgese from the other breeds, whereas both the SNPs in AMY2 gene showed different allelic frequencies in Friesian compared to the other breeds. These differences are confirmed by quite high Fst values for these two non-synonymous SNPs. These preliminary results highlight marked divergences in allele frequencies of AMY1 and AMY2 genes, involved in starch digestion, between horse breeds characterized by different histories of selection, thus providing first indications of possible relations between genetics and nutritional management.