Abstract
Meat production and quality traits in beef cattle are largely affected by genetic factors. Acetyl-Coenzyme A carboxylase-α (ACACA) plays a key role in the regulation and metabolism of fatty acid biosynthesis in mammalian animals. The gene encoding ACACA enzyme was chosen as a candidate gene for carcass and meat traits. In this study, we investigated effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ACACA gene on beef carcass and meat traits in Hanwoo (Korean cattle) populations. We have sequenced a fragment of intron I region of the Hanwoo ACACA gene and identified two SNPs. Genotyping of the two SNP markers (g.2344T>C and g.2447C>A) was carried out using PCR-SSCP analysis in 309 Hanwoo steers to evaluate their association with carcass and meat production traits. The g.2344C SNP marker showed a significant increasing effect on LW (p = 0.009) and CW (p = 0.017). Animals with the CC genotype had higher CW and LW compared with TT and TC genotypes (p C and g.2447C>A in the LD analysis, four major haplotype classes were formed with two SNP information within the ACACA gene. We constructed haplotypes using the HaploView software package program and analyzed association between haplotypes and carcass traits. The haplotype of ACACA gene significantly affected the LW (p = 0.027), CW (p = 0.041) and MC (p = 0.036). The effect of h1 haplotype on LW and CW was larger than that of h3 haplotype. Animals with the h1 haplotype also had greater MC than did animals with h2 haplotype. Consequently, the ACACA gene could be useful as a DNA marker for meat production traits such as carcass yield and meat contents in Hanwoo. (Key
Highlights
A primary goal of the beef industry in Korea is to efficiently produce higher yield and higher marbling scores
Where Yijklm is the observation of the carcass traits, μ is the overall mean for each trait, Si is the effect of sire, YSj is the effect of ith year and season of calving, SPk is the effect of slaughter place, Al is the effect of age at slaughter, Gm is the fixed effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotype and eijklm is the random residual effect
Advances in molecular genetics and genomic technologies have led to the identification of genes or markers associated with genes that affect the meat quality and quantity traits in beef cattle (Gao et al, 2007)
Summary
A primary goal of the beef industry in Korea is to efficiently produce higher yield and higher marbling scores. Carcass traits such as meat quality and quantity in cattle are economically important traits in the beef industry and the physiological regulation of meat traits is under the control of multiple genes. There are many genes involved in metabolic processes that control growth and differentiation of the tissue cells. Functional genomics and gene information provide new opportunities for understanding the molecular mechanisms and processes in Acetyl-CoA carboxylase is the major enzyme in the regulation of fatty acid synthesis in animal tissues and is regulated by the Acetyl-CoA carboxylase-α (ACACA) gene (Travers and Barber, 2001).
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