Abstract
Titin-cap (TCAP), one of the abundant transcripts in skeletal muscles, was investigated in this study in cattle because of its role in regulating the proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts by interacting with the myostatin gene. From the 5' and 3' RACE experiments, full-length TCAP coding sequence was identified, comprising 166 amino acids. The amino acid comparison showed high sequence similarities with previously identified human (95.8%) and mouse (95.2%) TCAP genes. The TCAP expression, addressed by northern blot, is limited in muscle tissues as indicated by Valle et al. (1997). The radiation hybrid analysis localized the gene on BTA19, where the comparative human and porcine counterparts are on HSA17 and SSC12. A few muscle-related genetic disorders were mapped on HSA17 and some growth-related QTLs were identified on SSC12. The bovine TCAP gene found in this study opens up new possibilities for the investigation of muscle-related genetic diseases as well as meat yield traits in cattle. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2004. Vol 17, No. 10 : 1344-1349)
Highlights
Titin-cap (TCAP), called telethonin (TELE), is a 19kDa sarcomeric protein that was initially identified from human expressed sequences tags (ESTs)
The myostatin gene belongs to the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily of multifunctional polypeptide growth factors that are involved in the regulation of myoblast growth and differentiation
We present a study of full-length TCAP
Summary
KDa sarcomeric protein that was initially identified from human expressed sequences tags (ESTs). The TCAP transcript was shown to be among the 12 most abundant in skeletal muscles (Valle et al, 1997). Nicholas et al (2002) identified the specific interaction between myostatin and TCAP proteins using yeast two-hybrid system. The myostatin gene belongs to the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily of multifunctional polypeptide growth factors that are involved in the regulation of myoblast growth and differentiation. Evidence of myostatin as a key negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth has been well established. The TCAP gene can regulate the proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts by controlling the amount of circulating active mature myostatin (Nicholas et al, 2002). Since the TCAP is highly correlated with myostatin gene in cattle, this gene can be used as a very valuable marker for muscle growth and yield
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