Abstract
Simple SummaryCompared with traditional breeding methods, molecular marker breeding can greatly speed up the process of livestock breeding to improve the production performance of economic traits. As one form of genetic variation, copy number variations could be used for molecular marker breeding. This study explored CNVs in bovine CLCN2 genes on account of this gene possibly being involved in cell volume regulation, transepithelial transport and cell proliferation. We investigated their association with growth traits in four Chinese cattle breeds. Our results provide evidence that there are two different copy number variations in CLCN2, which are associated with growth traits in two different Chinese cattle populations and could be used as candidate markers for cattle molecular breeding.Copy number variation (CNV) can affect gene function and even individual phenotypic traits by changing the transcription and translation level of related genes, and it also plays an important role in species evolution. Chloride voltage-gated channel 2 (CLCN2) encodes a voltage-gated chloride channel (CLC-2), which has a wide organ distribution and is ubiquitously expressed. Based on previous studies, we hypothesize that CLCN2 could be a candidate gene involved in cell volume regulation, transepithelial transport and cell proliferation. This study aimed to explore CNVs in the CLCN2 gene and investigate its association with growth traits in four Chinese cattle breeds (Yunling cattle, Xianan cattle, Qinchuan cattle and Pinan cattle). We identified there are two copy number variation regions (CNV1: 3600 bp, including exon 2–11; CNV2: 4800 bp, including exon 21–22) of the CLCN2 gene. The statistical analysis showed that the CNV1 mutation in the YL cattle population was significantly associated with cannon circumference (p < 0.01). The CNV2 mutation in the XN cattle population had a significant effect on body slanting length, chest girth and body weight (p < 0.05). In the YL cattle, the association analysis of CLCN2 gene CNV1 and CNV2 combination with cannon circumference was significant (p < 0.01). Our results provide evidence that CNV1 and CNV2 in CLCN2 are associated with growth traits in two different cattle populations and could be used as candidate markers for cattle molecular breeding.
Highlights
Beef is an important food source of protein for human beings
The frequency of the copy number polymorphisms of the Chloride voltage-gated channel 2 (CLCN2) gene (Figure 3c,d) illustrated that the loss type was maximal in Yunling cattle (YL) and the gain type was maximal in Qinchuan cattle (QC) and Pinan cattle (PN); these results were similar for both CNV1 and CNV2
As the frequency of the copy numbers of the CLCN2 gene CNV1 and CNV2 combination shows, the loss and loss type was the main type in YL and the gain and gain type was the main type in QC and PN
Summary
Beef is an important food source of protein for human beings. In recent years, the quantity and quality of beef consumption have been greatly improved in China [1]. As a new form of genetic variation, copy number variation (CNV) is defined as a large-scale structural variation between 50 bp and 5 Mb in the genome, including the insertion, deletion, duplication and complex mutations at multiple chromosomal sites [4]. The genomic CNV data of several breeds of cattle have been published [5,6], showing that CNV is closely related to the health status and economic traits of cattle. It has broad prospects and is of great significance to speed up the process of breeding improvement
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