Abstract
A meta-analysis was undertaken reporting on the association between a polymorphism in the Thyroglobulin gene (TG5) and marbling in beef cattle. A Bayesian hierarchical model was adopted, with alternative representations assessed through sensitivity analysis. Based on the overall posterior means and posterior probabilities, there is substantial support for an additive association between the TG5 marker and marbling. The marker effect was also assessed across various breed groups, with each group displaying a high probability of positive association between the T allele and marbling. The WinBUGS program code used to simulate the model is included as an Appendix available online at .
Highlights
Marbling is the fat that is deposited between individual muscle fibres of the M. longissimus dorsi
Standard deviations and 95% credible intervals for the breed-specific and overall effects are shown in Table II for the additive case
The Wagyu cross (WC) breed group shows the greatest association between TG5 and marbling, giving a posterior probability of association of 0.998 for the TT/CC effect
Summary
Marbling is the fat that is deposited between individual muscle fibres of the M. longissimus dorsi. Marbling and the distribution of intramuscular fat are economically important factors with respect to beef quality. A polymorphism in the 5’ promoter region of the bovine Thyroglobulin gene (TG5) has been reported to be associated with variation in marbling [3]. A search of published and available unpublished literature revealed 14 independent studies that provide 19 estimates of the association between TG5 and marbling. The study-specific results generally support an association, but not all are individually convincing. Each study was based on a relatively small number of animals and four different measurements of marbling were used. It is of interest to assess whether the accumulation of evidence provides stronger support for this association
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