Abstract
Abstract. To circumvent the obvious waste of resources when producing good marbled beef, research is needed to clarify mechanisms which are involved in intramuscular fat storage in cattle. The possible association between the activity of diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) and muscle fat content was examined in samples of longissimus dorsi (LD) and semitendinosus (ST) muscle from Holstein and Charolais bulls. The Holstein bulls exhibited higher fat content in both muscles and higher marbling score. In Holstein, DGAT activity was enhanced in the LD muscle, and there was a tentative positive relationship between DGAT activity and the fat content in ST muscle. When muscle DGAT activity was examined as a function of DGAT1 genotype for all animals, regardless of breed, the DGAT activity of LD muscle of the K/K genotype was about five-fold greater than for either the K/A or A/A genotypes. Further investigation on the relationship between DGAT1 genotype and i.m. fat is required before this may be developed as a selection tool for marbling.
Highlights
Marbling is a visual evaluation of the amount of intramuscular fat deposition, and is a desirable trait to the consumer
This appears to contradict the strong negative correlation between Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) activity and lipid content found by MIDDLETON et al (1998), it should be reinforced that different breeds and muscles were used
Since the muscle of Japanese Black hybrid cattle accumulates substantially greater levels of i.m. fat compared to muscles of Charolais and Holstein, DGAT may be down-regulated at an earlier stage in the development of the Japanese Black hybrid cattle
Summary
Marbling is a visual evaluation of the amount of intramuscular fat deposition, and is a desirable trait to the consumer. Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT, EC 2.3.1.20) catalyzes the SORENSEN et al.: Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) activity in relation to muscle fat content and DGAT1 genotype of Bos Taurus terminal step in triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis via the acyl-CoA-dependent acylation of sn-1,2-diacylglycerol and the level of DGAT activity may have a substantial effect on the quantity of triacylglycerol (TAG) deposited in fat-forming tissues (MAYOREK et al, 1989). The current study continues to investigate this relationship in the longissimus dorsi (LD) and ST muscles of Holstein and Charolais bulls, which produce considerably less lipids in muscle. Both DGAT activity and DGAT1 genotype were taken into consideration in this investigation
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