Abstract
Simple SummaryFor meat tenderness, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the μ-calpain (CAPN1) and calpastatin (CAST) genes have been reported to be associated with Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) in different cattle populations, including Korean Hanwoo cattle. In this study, we validated the association of seven SNPs in CAPN1 and CAST genes with meat tenderness in two different muscle cuts tenderness in the Longissimus thoracis (LT) and Semimembranosus (SM) muscles. Two SNPs in CAPN1 and one SNPs in CAST genes showed association with WBSF of both muscle types. Furthermore, of twelve reconstructed haplotypes, six demonstrated significant associations with WBSF values. These findings may be one of the strong evidences that CAPN1 and CAST gene mutations are strongly associated with WBSF. The information of significantly-associated SNPs and the resulted haplotypes could be utilized in the Hanwoo breeding program for further genetic improvement of tenderness traits.Previous studies demonstrated that polymorphisms in the μ-calpain (CAPN1) and calpastatin (CAST) genes had significant effects on meat tenderness in different cattle populations. The aim of this study was to validate the potential association of seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) harbored in these two candidate genes with meat tenderness in the Longissimus thoracis (LT) and Semimembranosus (SM) muscles. A total of 1000 animals were genotyped using TaqMan SNP genotyping arrays, and the meat tenderness of two muscle (LT and SM at 7 days post-slaughter) was assessed based on Warner-Bratzler WBSF (WBSF) testing. We observed significant associations of the CAPN1:c.580T>C, CAPN1:c.658T>C and CAST:c.1985G>C polymorphisms (p < 0.05) with the WBSF values in the LT and SM muscles. Additive effects of the C allele in CAPN1:c.580T>C and CAST:c.1985G>C were associated with an increase of 0.16 and 0.15 kg, and 0.08 and 0.26 kg WBSF in the LT and SM, respectively; CAPN1:c.658T>C had negative effects on the WBSFs. Furthermore, six reconstructed haplotypes demonstrated significant associations with WBSF values (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the significant associations identified between the SNPs in CAPN1, CAST and WBSF values could be utilized in marker-assisted selection programs in order to improve the beef tenderness of Hanwoo cattle.
Highlights
Tenderness is an important meat quality determinant in the beef industry, as consumers are willing to pay more for lean and tender meat [1]
single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) variants of CAPN1 have been reported to be associated with B. taurus-oriented crossbred populations [18,19] and a diverse genetic background consisting of B. taurus, B. indicus, and their reciprocal crossbreds [6,20]
SNPs identified in our previous study of Hanwoo cattle [13] compared to our present results might be due to differences in the allele frequencies and sources of investigated samples (Table S3)
Summary
Tenderness is an important meat quality determinant in the beef industry, as consumers are willing to pay more for lean and tender meat [1]. Korean consumers currently prefer highly marbled meat and exhibit a strong willingness to purchase tender meat that promotes the utilization of a system that ensures high-quality meat production [3]. To identify reliable gene markers that explain the large genetic and phenotypic variations in beef tenderness, an association analysis is required to validate previously tested gene markers and their subsequent effects in a large independent reference population [4]. SNPs in the CAPN1 and CAST genes have been reported to be associated with WBSF in several cattle breeds [5,6,7,8]. CAPN1/CAST is an endogenous calcium-dependent proteinase system that mediates the proteolysis of key myofibrillar proteins during the postmortem storage of carcasses and cuts of meat at refrigerated temperatures.
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