• Genes and Genomics
• /
• v.40 no.11
• /
• pp.1119-1125
• /
• 2018

Melanocortin 4 receptor: (MC4R) and Myostatin (MSTN) are two important growth trait-related genes in animals. In this study, we showed that two SNPs, MC4R-719A>G and MSTN-519C>T, found in the promoters of the MC4R and MSTN genes, respectively, are both associated with growth traits in Spinibarbus hollandi. Furthermore, we observed that there were significant associations between the expression levels of the MC4R and MSTN genes and these two growth trait-related SNPs. The expression level of MC4R gene in brain was lower in GG genotype fish with extremely high growth performance than that in AA genotype fish with extremely low growth performance. Expression level of the MSTN gene in muscle was lower in TT genotype fish with extremely high growth performance than that in CC and CT genotype fish with lower growth performance. The results indicated that these SNPs located in the promoters of MC4R and MSTN are associated with growth-related traits through modification of gene expression levels. The MSTN and MC4R SNPs may have useful application in effective marker-assisted selection aimed to increase output in S. hollandi.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.19-29
• /
• 2013

Marbling (intramuscular fat) is an important trait that affects meat quality and is a casual factor determining the price of beef in the Korean beef market. It is a complex trait and has many biological pathways related to muscle and fat. There is a need to identify functional modules or genes related to marbling traits and investigate their relationships through a weighted gene co-expression network analysis based on the system level. Therefore, we investigated the co-expression relationships of genes related to the 'marbling score' trait and systemically analyzed the network topology in Hanwoo (Korean cattle). As a result, we determined 3 modules (gene groups) that showed statistically significant results for marbling score. In particular, one module (denoted as red) has a statistically significant result for marbling score (p = 0.008) and intramuscular fat (p = 0.02) and water capacity (p = 0.006). From functional enrichment and relationship analysis of the red module, the pathway hub genes (IL6, CHRNE, RB1, INHBA and NPPA) have a direct interaction relationship and share the biological functions related to fat or muscle, such as adipogenesis or muscle growth. This is the first gene network study with m.logissimus in Hanwoo to observe co-expression patterns in divergent marbling phenotypes. It may provide insights into the functional mechanisms of the marbling trait.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.65 no.6
• /
• pp.1194-1204
• /
• 2023

Meat quality comprises a set of key traits such as pH, meat color, water-holding capacity, tenderness and marbling. These traits are complex because they are affected by multiple genetic and environmental factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular genetic basis underlying nine meat quality-related traits in a Yorkshire pig population using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and subsequent biological pathway analysis. In total, 45,926 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers from 543 pigs were selected for the GWAS after quality control. Data were analyzed using a genome-wide efficient mixed model association (GEMMA) method. This linear mixed model-based approach identified two quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for meat color (b^*) on chromosome 2 (SSC2) and one QTL for shear force on chromosome 8 (SSC8). These QTLs acted additively on the two phenotypes and explained 3.92%-4.57% of the phenotypic variance of the traits of interest. The genes encoding HAUS8 on SSC2 and an lncRNA on SSC8 were identified as positional candidate genes for these QTLs. The results of the biological pathway analysis revealed that positional candidate genes for meat color (b^*) were enriched in pathways related to muscle development, muscle growth, intramuscular adipocyte differentiation, and lipid accumulation in muscle, whereas positional candidate genes for shear force were overrepresented in pathways related to cell growth, cell differentiation, and fatty acids synthesis. Further verification of these identified SNPs and genes in other independent populations could provide valuable information for understanding the variations in pork quality-related traits.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 2022

Objective: FKBP prolyl isomerase 5 (FKBP5) has been shown to play an important role in metabolically active tissues such as skeletal muscle. However, the expression of FKBP5 in Muscovy duck tissues and its association with body weight are still unclear. Methods: In this study, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of FKBP5 in different tissues of Muscovy duck at different growth stages. Further, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected in the exon region of FKBP5 and were combined analyzed with the body weight of 334 Muscovy ducks. Results: FKBP5 was highly expressed in various tissues of Muscovy duck at days 17, 19, 21, 24, and 27 of embryonic development. In addition, the expression of FKBP5 in the tissues of female adult Muscovy ducks was higher than that of male Muscovy ducks. Besides, an association analysis indicated that 3 SNPs were related to body weight trait. At the g.4819252 A>G, the body weight of AG genotype was significantly higher than that of the AA and the GG genotype. At the g.4821390 G>A, the genotype GA was extremely significantly related to body weight. At the g.4830622 T>G, the body weight of TT was significantly higher than GG and TG. Conclusion: These findings indicate the possible effects of expression levels in various tissues and the SNPs of FKBP5 on Muscovy duck body weight trait. FKBP5 could be used as molecular marker for muscle development trait using early marker-assisted selection of Muscovy ducks.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.49 no.6
• /
• pp.589-598
• /
• 2021

White strains of Hypsizygus marmoreus are more difficult to cultivate than are brown strains; therefore, new white strain breeding strategies are required. Accordingly, we constructed the genetic map of H. marmoreus with 1996 SNP markers on 11 linkage groups (LGs) spanning 1380.49 cM. Prior to analysis, 82 backcrossed strains (HM8 lines) were generated by mating between KMCC03106-31 and the progenies of the F1 hybrid (Hami-18 × KMCC03106-93). Using HM8, the first 23 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of yield-related traits were detected with high limit of detection (LOD) scores (1.98-9.86). The length, thickness, and hardness of the stipe were colocated on LG 1. Especially, length of stipe and thickness of stipe were highly correlated given that the correlation coefficients were negative (-0.39, p value ≤ .01). And a typical biomodal distribution was observed for lightness of the pileus and the lightness of the pileus trait belonged to the LG 8, as did traits of earliness and mycelial growth in potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium. Therefore, results for color traits can be suggested that color is controlled by a multi-gene of one locus. The yield trait was highly negatively correlated with the traits for thickness of the stipe (-0.45, p value ≤ .01). Based on additive effects, the white strain was confirmed as recessive; however, traits of mycelial growth, lightness, and quality were inherited by backcrossed HM8 lines. This new genetic map, finely mapped QTLs, and the strong selection markers could be used in molecular breeding of H. marmoreus.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.110-121
• /
• 2022

Leaf functional traits widely have been used to understand the environmental controls of resource utilization strategy of plants along the environmental gradients. By using key leaf functional traits, we quantified the relationships between leaf traits and local climate throughout the distributional range of Rhododendron caucasicum Pall. in eastern and western Georgian mountains (the South Caucasus). Our results revealed, that all traits showed high levels of intraspecific variability across study locations and confirmed a strong phenotypic differentiation of leaf functional variation along the east-west longitudinal gradient in response to the local climate; out of the explored climatic variables, the moisture factors related to precipitation and number of precipitation and dry days for winter and growth seasons were more strongly related to leaf trait variation than the elevation and air temperature. Among studied leaf traits, the leaf specific area (SLA) showed the highest level of variability indicating the different resource utilization strategies of eastern and western-central Rh. caucasicum individuals. High SLA leaves for western-central Caucasian individuals work in relatively resource-rich environments (more humid in terms of precipitation amount and the number of precipitation days in winter) and could be explained by preferential allocation to photosynthesis and growth, while eastern Caucasian samples work in resource-poor environments (less humid in terms of precipitation amount and the number of precipitation days in winter) and the retention of captured resources is a higher priority appearing in a low SLA leaves. However, more evidence from a broader study of the species throughout its distribution range by including additional environmental factors and molecular markers are needed for firmer conclusions of intraspecific variability of Rh. caucasicum.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.37 no.5
• /
• pp.807-816
• /
• 2024

Objective: This study aims to identify the significant regions and candidate genes of growth-related traits (adjusted backfat thickness [ABF], average daily gain [ADG], and days to 90 kg [DAYS90]) in Korean commercial GGP pig (Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire) populations. Methods: A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for imputation to Illumina PorcineSNP60. The BayesB method was applied to calculate thresholds for the significance of SNP markers. The identified windows were considered significant if they explained ≥1% genetic variance. Results: A total of 28 window regions were related to genetic growth effects. Bayesian GWAS revealed 28 significant genetic regions including 52 informative SNPs associated with growth traits (ABF, ADG, DAYS90) in Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire pigs, with genetic variance ranging from 1.00% to 5.46%. Additionally, 14 candidate genes with previous functional validation were identified for these traits. Conclusion: The identified SNPs within these regions hold potential value for future marker-assisted or genomic selection in pig breeding programs. Consequently, they contribute to an improved understanding of genetic architecture and our ability to genetically enhance pigs. SNPs within the identified regions could prove valuable for future marker-assisted or genomic selection in pig breeding programs.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.34 no.5
• /
• pp.824-832
• /
• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to estimate the genetic parameters and genetic correlations for related feed efficiency, growth, and carcass traits in Hanwoo cattle. Methods: Phenotypic data from 15,279 animals born between 1989 and 2015 were considered. The related feed efficiency traits considered were Kleiber ratio (KR) and relative growth rate (RGR). Carcass traits analyzed were backfat thickness (BT), carcass weight, eye muscle area, and marbling score. Growth traits were assessed by the average daily gain (ADG), metabolic body weight (MBW) at mid-test age from 6 to 24 months, and yearling weight (YW). Variance and covariance components were estimated using restricted maximum likelihood using nine multi-trait animal models. Results: The heritability estimates for related feed efficiency (0.28±0.04 for KR and RGR) and growth traits (0.26±0.02 to 0.33±0.04) were moderate, but the carcass traits tended to be higher (0.38±0.04 to 0.61±0.06). The related feed efficiency traits were positively genetically correlated with all the carcass traits (0.37±0.09 to 0.47±0.07 for KR, and 0.14±0.09 to 0.37±0.09 for RGR), except for BT, which showed null to weak correlation. Conversely, the genetic correlations of RGR with MBW (-0.36±0.08) and YW (-0.30±0.08) were negative, and those of KR with MBW and YW were close to zero, whereas the genetic correlations of ADG with RGR (0.40±0.08) and KR (0.70±0.05) were positive and relatively moderate to high. The genetic (0.92±0.02) correlations between KR and RGR were very high. Conclusion: Sufficient genetic variability and heritability were observed for traits of interest. Moreover, the inclusion of KR and/or RGR in Hanwoo cattle breeding programs could improve the feed efficiency without producing any unfavorable effects on the carcass traits.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.43-50
• /
• 2016

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) is a particular region of the genome containing one or more genes associated with economically important quantitative traits. This study was conducted to identify QTL regions for body weight and growth traits in purebred Korean native chicken (KNC). F1 samples (n = 595) were genotyped using 127 microsatellite markers and 8 single nucleotide polymorphisms that covered 2,616.1 centi Morgan (cM) of map length for 26 autosomal linkage groups. Body weight traits were measured every 2 weeks from hatch to 20 weeks of age. Weight of half carcass was also collected together with growth rate. A multipoint variance component linkage approach was used to identify QTLs for the body weight traits. Two significant QTLs for growth were identified on chicken chromosome 3 (GGA3) for growth 16 to18 weeks (logarithm of the odds [LOD] = 3.24, Nominal p value = 0.0001) and GGA4 for growth 6 to 8 weeks (LOD = 2.88, Nominal p value = 0.0003). Additionally, one significant QTL and three suggestive QTLs were detected for body weight traits in KNC; significant QTL for body weight at 4 weeks (LOD = 2.52, nominal p value = 0.0007) and suggestive QTL for 8 weeks (LOD = 1.96, Nominal p value = 0.0027) were detected on GGA4; QTLs were also detected for two different body weight traits: body weight at 16 weeks on GGA3 and body weight at 18 weeks on GGA19. Additionally, two suggestive QTLs for carcass weight were detected at 0 and 70 cM on GGA19. In conclusion, the current study identified several significant and suggestive QTLs that affect growth related traits in a unique resource pedigree in purebred KNC. This information will contribute to improving the body weight traits in native chicken breeds, especially for the Asian native chicken breeds.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.613-620
• /
• 2012

Marbling from intramuscular fat is an important trait of meat quality and has an economic benefit for the beef industry. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) fine mapping was performed to identify the marbling trait in 266 Hanwoo steers using a 10K single nucleotide polymorphism panel with the combined linkage and linkage disequilibrium method. As a result, we found nine putative QTL regions for marbling: three on BTA6, two on BTA17, two on BTA22, and two on BTA29. We detected candidate genes for marbling within 1 cM of either side of the putative QTL regions. Additionally, to understand the functions of these candidate genes at the molecular level, we conducted a functional categorization using gene ontology and pathway analyses for those genes involved in lipid metabolism or fat deposition. In these putative QTL regions, we found 95 candidate genes for marbling. Using these candidate genes, we found five genes that had a direct interaction with the candidate genes. We also found SCARB1 as a putative candidate gene for marbling that involves fat deposition related to cholesterol transport.