Abstract
Simple SummaryMarker-assisted selection has a great influence on livestock molecular breeding development. The discovery of key molecular markers that are significantly associated with body size data will accelerate molecular breeding in livestock. In this study, the cattle ACTL8 gene is a critical candidate gene. It was found that there are multiple mutations in the ACTL8 gene that may be used as molecular markers. Our results have shown that the mutations of the ACTL8 gene could have important reference value in molecular breeding for beef cattle. Mutations are heritable changes at the base level of genomic DNA. Furthermore, mutations lead to genetic polymorphisms and may alter animal growth phenotypes. Our previous study found that mutations in the bovine Actin-like protein 8 (ACTL8) gene may be involved in muscle growth and development. This study explored several mutations of the ACTL8 gene and their influence on body size in Chinese beef cattle, as well as tested the tissue expression profile of the ACTL8 gene in Qinchuan cattle at different ages. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (including one synonymous mutation (c.2135552895G > A)) and two insertion/deletion polymorphisms (indels) were identified in the ACTL8 gene from 1138 cattle by DNA-seq, RFLP and other methods. Then, the expression profile of the ACTL8 gene in Qinchuan cattle showed that it was expressed in heart, spleen, lung, liver, muscle, and fat tissues. Moreover, the expression level of ACTL8 was increased with cattle growth (p < 0.01). The ACTL8 mRNA expression level in kidney and muscle tissues was the highest in the calves, while lowest in the fetal stage. Overall, we showed that the mutations could act as markers in beef molecular breeding and selection of the growth traits of cattle.
Highlights
With the selection pressure strongly increased, genetic diversity is being lost in most local and industrial cattle breeds at a worldwide level
The results of the association analysis between mutations and growth traits in other cattle breeds were shown in Supplementary Materials Table S3
We found five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and two indels in the bovine Actin-like protein 8 (ACTL8) gene by DNA-seq
Summary
With the selection pressure strongly increased, genetic diversity is being lost in most local and industrial cattle breeds at a worldwide level. The genetic diversity of beef production traits is gradually decreasing, while. It is urgent to identify and utilize the genetic diversity of traits related to bovine meat production through biotechnology [3]. The discovery and application of DNA molecular marker-assisted selection technology has promoted the process of animal genetic improvement. The continuous excavation of DNA molecular markers combined with the traditional phenotypic breeding of cattle provides great help for the identification and utilization of bovine genetic resources [4]. The model which links the molecular markers and growth traits has been used for improved genetic evaluation of beef cattle [5]. Effective candidate genes for phenotypic traits and related DNA markers remain to be discovered
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