Candidate Gene For Carcass Traits Research Articles

Estimates of heritability and candidate genes for primal cuts and dressing percentage in Santa Ines sheep

Primal cuts and dressing percentage are complex traits to record on a large scale, and information from molecular markers can improve the selection schemes for these traits. Thus, 490 Santa Ines lambs were genotyped for 50 K SNP chip to perform a genomic study for dressing percentage as well as shoulder, loin, rib, and leg yields. Variance components were estimated through a univariate animal model with a genomic relationship matrix. Weighted single-step association analyses were carried out to estimate the variance percentage explained by adjacent SNPs in genome windows (GW) of 1.0 Mbp. The estimates of heritability were 0.32 ± 0.14 (carcass), 0.28 ± 0.11 (loin), 0.41 ± 0.13 (rib), 0.32 ± 0.13 (shoulder), and 0.46 ± 0.13 (leg). The number of GW explaining more than 1% of additive genetic variance (VA) and the total percentages of VA explained for dressing percentage, loin, rib, shoulder, and leg yields were, respectively, eight (12.5%), ten (19.2%), nine (20.1%), ten (18.8%), and seven (13.1%). Inside the GW, 355 protein-coding genes were found, 31 of them (FAIM, MRAS, PIK3CB, NHLH2, CASQ2, NAALADL2, ATPL1, GLIS3, TMOD1, CNTN1, LRRK2, HMGA2, MSRB3, ANKS1B, IR29A, LCORL, NCAPG, DTHD1, ARAP2, SYNE2, SPTB, KHDRBS3, CLVS1, NKAIN3, UBL3, SLC7A1, GSKIP, BDKRB2, SETD3, BCL11B and LRRK1) can be considered as candidate genes for carcass traits due their biological functions. Moreover, other sixteen genes take part in the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway, and this pathway was significant in functional annotation analysis of the genes mapped for primal cuts. These results revealed novel insights regarding the genetic control for primal cuts in sheep and are a novel source of information for future genomic studies related to carcass yield in livestock.

Genome-wide association analysis to identify QTL for carcass traits in Hanwoo (Korean native cattle)

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed to investigate the genetic markers associated with carcass traits of Hanwoo (Bos taurus coreanae) steer in the Gangwon region of Korea. Hanwoo steer (139) from the Gangwon region were genotyped with Bovine SNP50K BeadChip, and 35,769 SNPs were analyzed for five specific carcass traits after applying several filters. A total of seven quantitative trait loci were detected, of which four, one, and 2 SNPs were detected on various B. taurus autosomal chromosomes (BTA) by the respective model. The four significant SNPs associated with backfat thickness were ARS-BFGL-NGS–41475 on BTA 5, ARS-BFGLNGS- 36359 on BTA 19, ARS-BFGL-NGS-56813 on BTA 22, and Hapmap25048-BTA-138242 on BTA 25. Among the detected SNPs, one and two SNPs were associated with marbling score (ARS-BFGL-NGS-110066 on BTA 23) and meat colour (BTB-01920239 on BTA 15 and ARS-BFGL-NGS-24934 on BTA 18). In this GWAS, we identified three positional candidate genes for carcass traits, backfat thickness (Fibulin-2, FBLN2; Sorting nexin 29, SNX29) and meat colour (WW domain containing oxidoreductase, WWOX). Our results suggest that the candidate SNP markers do affect the genomic selection of associated carcass traits for Hanwoo in the Gangwon region.

A genome‐wide association study suggests several novel candidate genes for carcass traits in Chinese Simmental beef cattle

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted for two carcass traits in Chinese Simmental beef cattle. The experimental population consisted of 1301 individuals genotyped with the Illumina BovineHD SNP BeadChip (770K). After quality control, 671990 SNPs and 1217 individuals were retained for the GWAS. The phenotypic traits included carcass weight and bone weight, which were measured after the cattle were slaughtered at 16 to 18months of age. Three statistical models-a fixed polygene model, a random polygene model and a composite interval mapping polygene model-were used for the GWAS. The genome-wide significance threshold after Bonferroni correction was 7.44E-08 (=0.05/671990). In this study, we detected eight and seven SNPs significantly associated with carcass weight and bone weight respectively. In total, 11 candidate genes were identified within or close to these significant SNPs. Of these, we found several novel candidate genes, including PBX1, GCNT4, ALDH1A2, LCORL and WDFY3, to be associated with carcass weight and bone weight in Chinese Simmental beef cattle, and their functional roles need to be verified in further studies.

Candidate genes for carcass traits in a tropical-adapted Brazilian composite beef breed

Backfat thickness (BFT) and ribeye area (REA) are important production traits but, because they are measured late in the animal's life, they have not been efficiently included in breeding programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) mapped to the leptin, PPARGC1A, PSMC1, CRH, and FABP4 genes, which influence BFT and REA in Canchim cattle, a composite beef breed (5/8 Charolais + 3/8 Zebu). BFT and REA phenotypic records were obtained by ultrasound measurements from 18-month-old animals. All SNP markers were genotyped by restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction. Restricted maximum likelihood analysis revealed that the non-synonymous SNP located in exon 2 of the FABP4 gene has an additive effect on BFT (P ≤ 0.05). Significant allele substitution effects showed that the substitution of G by A may lead to a decrease of 0.1055 mm in mean BFT. This information can be used for inclusion of this trait-associated marker in commercial SNP panels.

Association between polymorphisms of the CRH and POMC genes with economic traits in Korean cattle (Hanwoo).

The corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) and proo-piomelanocortin (POMC) genes are considered to play an important role in the growth and development of mammals. In this study, the bovine CRH and POMC genes were characterized to detect genetic variation at these loci in relation to economic traits in Korean cattle (Hanwoo). Nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; C148T, A186G, A234C, G269A, G1030A, G1084A, A1136C, G1179C, and A1439G) were detected in the CRH gene, and six SNPs (C7017T, A7027T, C7050T, G7063T, C7160T, and C7221T) were detected in the POMC gene. Three SNPs in the CRH gene (G1030A, G1084A, and G1179C) were missense mutations, and three SNPs in the POMC gene (C7017T, A7027T, and C7160T) were missense mutations. Statistical analysis indicated that one CRH polymorphism (G1084A) was signifi-cantly (P = 0.05) associated with the longissimus dorsi muscle area (LMA), and a POMC polymorphism (C7221T) significantly influenced LMA and marbling scores. A significant interaction was detected be-tween CRH and POMC in relation to carcass weight and LMA. These results indicate that CRH and POMC may be candidate genes for car-cass traits, and suggest that the interaction between CRH and POMC strongly affects carcass traits in cattle.

Novel SNPs in the bovine ADIPOQ and PPARGC1A genes are associated with carcass traits in Hanwoo (Korean cattle)

Adiponectin (ADIPOQ) modulates several biological processes including energy homeostasis, glucose and lipid metabolism. The bovine ADIPOQ gene was located near the QTL affecting marbling, ribeye muscle area and fat thickness on BTA1. The gene encoding peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PPARGC1A) was located within the QTL region of the traits on BTA6. Moreover, its protein product has various biological functions such as cellular energy homeostasis, including adaptive thermogenesis, adipogenesis and gluconeogenesis. Therefore, the ADIPOQ and PPARGC1A genes are a positional and functional candidate gene for carcass traits in beef cattle. The objectives of this study were to identify polymorphisms in the bovine ADIPOQ and PPARGC1A genes, to evaluate their associations with carcass traits in Hanwoo (Korean cattle) population. We identified nine SNPs in the ADIPOQ gene. Two SNPs (DQ156119: g.1436T > C and DQ156119: g.1454A > G) in the promoter region were recognized as new SNPs identified in Hanwoo. Association analysis indicated that the g.1454A > G SNP genotype was significantly associated with effects on LMA (P = 0.004) and BF (P = 0.021). The ADIPOQ haplotype was also found to have significant effect on the LMA. In the PPARGC1A gene, we identified 11 SNPs in the two unexplored regions (intron 3 and 5). Among them, seven SNPs were located in intron 3 and four SNPs were located in intron 5. Of these 11 putative novel SNPs, two SNPs (AY839822: g.292C > T and AY839823: g.1064C > T) with minor allele frequency (MAF) > 0.20 were examined for associations with carcass traits. The association analysis revealed that both SNPs in PPARGC1A gene were significantly associated with LMA (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that the SNPs of bovine ADIPOQ and PPARGC1A genes may be a useful molecular marker for selection of carcass traits in Hanwoo.

Polymorphisms and expression of the chicken POU1F1 gene associated with carcass traits

POU1F1 is an essential factor that regulates the development and reproduction of animal. The objective of the current research was to screen for polymorphism, expression of POU1F1 and their association with carcass quality traits. A total of 126 Erlang mountainous chickens from two strains (SD02 and SD03) were employed for testing. Seventeen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected, but only two SNPs (g.96217999 T > C and g.96219442 C > T) were associated with carcass quality traits. In SD03 chicken, g.96217999 T > C genotypes were significantly associated with body weight (BW), carcass weight (CW), eviscerated weight (EW), and semi-eviscerated weight (SEW; P < 0.05), and was highly significantly associated with breast muscle weight (BMW) and abdominal fat weight (AW; P < 0.01). g.96219442 C > T was significantly associated with BW, EW, SEW (P < 0.05). However, these two SNPs were not significantly associated with any carcass traits in SD02 chicken. Diplotypes showed that in SD03 chicken, the haplotype [C: C] was the most favorable haplotype because it was associated with higher BW, CW, SEW, EW, BMW, and AW (P < 0.05). On the contrary, haplotype [T: T] was associated with lower carcass quality traits (P < 0.01). In addition, qRT-PCR revealed that at 13 weeks, the POU1F1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in breast muscle of cock compared to that of hens (P < 0.05), whereas there was no significant correlation between POU1F1 expression and carcass traits. These results suggested that POU1F1 could be a potential candidate gene for carcass traits in chicken.

Genome wide QTL mapping to identify candidate genes for carcass traits in Hanwoo (Korean Cattle)

Meat quality traits are the most economically important traits affecting the beef industry in Korea. We performed a whole genome quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping study of carcass data in Hanwoo Korean cattle. Two hundred sixty-six Hanwoo steers from 65 sires were genotyped using a 10K Affymetrix SNP chip. The average SNP interval across the bovine genome was 1.5Mb. Associations between each individual SNP and four carcass traits [carcass weight (CWT), eye muscle area (EMA), back fat thickness (BFT), and marbling (MAR)] were assessed using a linear mixed model of each trait. Combined linkage and linkage disequilibrium analysis (LDLA) detected six potential QTL on BTA04, 06, 13, 16, 17, and 23 at the chromosome-wise level (P<0.05). Two MAR QTL were detected at 52.2 cM of BTA06 and 46.04 cM of BTA17. We identified three genes (ARAP2, LOC539460, and LOC511424) in the QTL region of BTA06 and seven genes (RPS14, SCARB1, LOC782103, BRI3BP, AACS, DHX37, and UBC) in the QTL region of BTA17. One significant QTL for CWT was detected at 100 cM on BTA04 and the corresponding QTL region spanned 1.7 cM from 99.7 to 101.4 cM. For EMA QTL, one significant QTL was detected at 3.9 cM of BTA23 and the most likely QTL interval was 1.4 cM, placing 15 candidate genes in the marker bracket. Finally, two QTL for BFT were identified at 68 cM on BTA13 and 24 cM on BTA16. The LPIN3 gene, which is functionally associated with lipodystrophy in humans, is located in the BFT QTL on BTA13. Thus, two potential candidate genes, acetoacetyl-CoA synthetase (AACS) and lipin (LPIN), were detected in QTL regions on BTA17 for MAR and BTA13 for BFT, respectively. In conclusion, LDLA analysis can be used to detect chromosome regions harboring QTL and candidate genes with a low density SNP panel, yielding relatively narrow confidence intervals regarding location.

Genetic association of Phosphodiesterase 1B (PDE1B) with carcass traits in Korean cattle

Quantitative trait loci for fat deposition and carcass traits have been identified in the vicinity of the gene encoding phosphodiesterase 1B (PDE1B) on bovine chromosome 5. Therefore, the PDE1B gene can be considered as a positional and functional candidate gene for carcass traits in beef cattle. This study aimed to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PDE1B gene and to evaluate their associations with carcass traits in Korean cattle. Eight SNPs, g.440T>G, g.17122A>G, g.17507A>C, g.17575A>G, g.17607T>C, g.17609C>A, g.17692C>T, and g.17707C>G, were identified in the region ranged from exon 1 to intron 6. Five of them were used for association analysis because of their availability of restriction fragment length polymorphisms. As a result, g.17122A>G in intron 3 was significantly associated with backfat thickness (BFT), and g.17507A>C in exon 5 was associated with longissimus dorsi muscle area (LMA, P<0.05). Animals with the AG genotype of g.17122 had thicker BFT than those with the AA genotype. Animals with the AA or AC genotype of g.17507A>C had larger LMA than those with the CC genotype. We suggested the PDE1B gene as a candidate gene for carcass traits of beef cattle. Fine mapping would be required for application to marker-assisted selection.

Molecular characterization, expression pattern, and association analysis with carcass traits of the porcine SHIP2 gene

Src homology 2-containing inositol 5-phosphatase 2 (SHIP2) has been identified as 5'-inositol phosphatase that hydrolyzes PI(3,4,5)P(3) to PI(3,4)P(2), which negatively regulates insulin-induced Akt signaling in skeletal muscle. In this study, we obtained a 3,795-bp mRNA sequence of porcine SHIP2 that included the full coding region for a protein of 1,264 amino acids. With the use of comparative mapping, we mapped this gene to SSC9 p23-24, where many QTLs affect average backfat thickness, average daily weight gain (birth-10 weeks), adipocyte number, belly fat area, and mid-back fat traits. As a candidate gene for carcass traits, a novel single nucleotide polymorphism in intron 21 (A > G) was detected by PCR-RFLP. The results showed that the AA genotype had higher skin percentage, shoulder fat thickness, and m. longissimus dorsi width, but lower m. longissimus dorsi height compared with the genotype GG (P < 0.05), and that allele G appeared to be associated with an increase in the growth trait. SHIP2 was expressed abundantly in skeletal muscle tissue and was transcriptionally decreased during the proliferative phase, but increased in the intermediate stages of muscle differentiation. Analysis of the porcine SHIP2 promoter sequence demonstrated that the E2F element is involved in downregulating SHIP2 mRNA expression in proliferating myoblasts. Using RNAi, we found that the MyoD transcription factor played a role in upregulating SHIP2 expression in differentiating myotubes. In summary, we suggest that SHIP2 might play a role in the regulation of skeletal muscle development in pigs.

Identification and analysis of MC4R polymorphisms and their association with economic traits of Korean cattle (Hanwoo)

Signaling by the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) is important for mediation the effect of leptin on food intake and energy homeostasis, and is associated with obesity, energy homeostasis and control of feeding behavior. Presently, the bovine MC4R gene was characterized to detect genetic variation at this locus and to relate it to economic traits in Korean cattle (Hanwoo). Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in the coding region (G709A, C927T, C1069G, C1343A, and C1786T). G709A changed amino acid 166 of the MC4R protein from valine to methionine and C1069G changed amino acid 286 of the MC4R protein from leucine to valine. A SNP at C927T significantly influenced the Marbling score, SNP markers C1069G and C1343A significantly affected the Backfat thickness, and the SNP marker C1786T significantly influenced backfat and Marbling score. The MC4R gene may thus be a candidate gene for carcass traits with MC4R SNPs being potentially valuable as genetic markers for economic traits in Hanwoo.

Molecular characterization and expression analysis of caveolin-1 in pig tissues

Members of the caveolin family played important roles during fundamental cellular processes, such as regulation of cell morphology, migration, and gene expression in muscle cells. In this study, caveolin-1 (Cav-1), one of the caveolins, was identified from longissimus dorsi muscle of Large Yorkshire pig and Chinese indigenous Lantang pig based on the results of mRNA differential display analysis. The deduced amino acids sequence of the porcine Cav-1 contained a caveolin domain, and was very conservative among different species. The Cav-1 mRNA was widely expressed in the eight tissues in this study, including heart, liver, kidney, encephalon, spleen, lung, longissimus dorsi muscle, and back fat, and the highest expression quantity was found in back fat of the two pig breeds. The expression quantity of porcine Cav-1 in back fat and longissimus dorsi muscle of Lantang pig was significantly higher than that of Large Yorkshire (P<0.01, and P<0.05, respectively). These results suggested that the Cav-1 might be a candidate gene for carcass traits, and might provide valuable information for understanding the mechanism of caveolae signaling in fat deposition by using the animal model of pig.