Abstract
BackgroundFatty acids are important traits that affect meat quality and nutritive values in beef cattle. Detection of genetic variants for fatty acid composition can help to elucidate the genetic mechanism underpinning these traits and promote the improvement of fatty acid profiles. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on fatty acid composition using high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays in Chinese Wagyu cattle.ResultsIn total, we detected 15 and 8 significant genome-wide SNPs for individual fatty acids and fatty acid groups in Chinese Wagyu cattle, respectively. Also, we identified nine candidate genes based on 100 kb regions around associated SNPs. Four SNPs significantly associated with C14:1 cis-9 were embedded with stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), while three SNPs in total were identified for C22:6 n-3 within Phospholipid scramblase family member 5 (PLSCR5), Cytoplasmic linker associated protein 1 (CLASP1), and Chymosin (CYM). Notably, we found the top candidate SNP within SCD can explain ~ 7.37% of phenotypic variance for C14:1 cis-9. Moreover, we detected several blocks with high LD in the 100 kb region around SCD. In addition, we found three significant SNPs within a 100 kb region showing pleiotropic effects related to multiple FA groups (PUFA, n-6, and PUFA/SFA), which contains BAI1 associated protein 2 like 2 (BAIAP2L2), MAF bZIP transcription factor F (MAFF), and transmembrane protein 184B (TMEM184B).ConclusionsOur study identified several significant SNPs and candidate genes for individual fatty acids and fatty acid groups in Chinese Wagyu cattle, and these findings will further assist the design of breeding programs for meat quality in cattle.
Highlights
Fatty acids are important traits that affect meat quality and nutritive values in beef cattle
Descriptive statistics and heritability estimations of fatty acid compositions Descriptive statistics and heritability estimate results were presented in Table 1 for 21 individual FAs and eight FA groups
We observed that the most abundant individual saturated FAs were C18:1 cis-9 (46.87%), and C16:0 (27.46%), while relatively high proportions of the total FAs were found for C18:0 (11.96%), C16:1 cis-9 (4.22%), and C18:2 n-6 (3.84%) among the 21 individual FAs
Summary
Fatty acids are important traits that affect meat quality and nutritive values in beef cattle. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on fatty acid composition using high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays in Chinese Wagyu cattle. Many studies have identified candidate markers associated with FA composition in different populations, such as Japanese Black cattle, Hereford, Angus, and Shorthorn [16, 20,21,22,23]. Most of these studies were carried out using low density SNP arrays. The genetic basis of FA composition may vary among populations, and the use of genomic technologies for improving fatty acid profiles in beef cattle have not been comprehensively addressed [8, 16, 21, 23,24,25,26,27,28,29]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
