Replicated association of the single nucleotide polymorphism in EDG1 with marbling in three general populations of Japanese Black beef cattle

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Marbling, defined by the amount and the distribution of intramuscular fat and measured as beef marbling score (BMS), is an economically important trait of beef cattle in Japan. We recently reported that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), namely, <it>c.-312A>G</it>, in the <it>endothelial differentiation</it>, <it>sphingolipid G-protein-coupled receptor</it>, <it>1 </it>(<it>EDG1</it>) gene was associated with the BMS level in the Japanese Black beef cattle population of Oita prefecture, with the <it>G </it>allele being associated with a high level of the BMS. Thus, the <it>c.-312A>G </it>SNP seems to be a candidate marker for marker-assisted selection. In this study, we investigated whether this association could be replicated in 3 other independent Japanese Black cattle populations and analyzed the effect of the SNP genotypes on the carcass traits other than the BMS.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Statistically significant differences in the BMS level were detected among the genotypes of the <it>c.-312A>G </it>SNP in the Japanese black beef cattle populations of Miyazaki (<it>P </it>= 0.0377) and Nagasaki (<it>P </it>= 0.0012) prefectures, and marginal difference was detected in the Kagoshima prefecture population (<it>P </it>= 0.0786). The <it>G </it>allele in the SNP was associated with an increase in the BMS level.</p> <p>The <it>G </it>allele also seemed to have a favorable influence, if any, on the carcass weight, rib eye area and rib thickness of the cattle populations.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings suggest that the association of the <it>c.-312A>G </it>SNP with the BMS level in the Japanese Black beef cattle population was replicated in other beef cattle populations, and revealed favorable effects of the <it>G </it>allele on the beef productivity in the general Japanese Black beef cattle population. Thus, we concluded that the <it>c.-312A>G </it>SNP is useful for effective marker-assisted selection to increase the BMS level in Japanese Black beef cattle.</p

Association of a single nucleotide polymorphism in titin gene with marbling in Japanese Black beef cattle

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Association of a single nucleotide polymorphism in akirin 2 gene with marbling in Japanese Black beef cattle

Background: Marbling defined by the amount and distribution of intramuscular fat, so-called Shimofuri, is an economically important trait of beef cattle in Japan. The c17-25 expressed sequence tag (EST) has been previously shown to possess expression difference in musculus longissimus muscle between low-marbled and high-marbled steer groups, and to be located within genomic region of a quantitative trait locus for marbling. Thus, the akirin 2 (AKIRIN2) gene containing the c17-25 EST sequence was considered as a positional functional candidate for the gene responsible for marbling. In this study, we explored single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the AKIRIN2 and analyzed association of the SNP with marbling. Findings: A SNP in the 3' untranslated region of the AKIRIN2, referred to as c.*188G>A, was the only difference detected between high- and low-marbled steer groups. The SNP was associated with marbling in 3 experiments using 100 sires (P = 0.041), 753 paternal half-sib progeny steers from 4 sires heterozygous for the c.*188G>A (P = 0.005), and 730 paternal half-sib progeny steers from 3 sires homozygous for the A allele at the c.*188G>A (P = 0.047), in Japanese Black beef cattle. The effect of genotypes of the SNP on subcutaneous fat thickness was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: These findings suggest that the AKIRIN2 SNP polymorphism is associated with marbling and may be useful for effective marker-assisted selection to increase the levels of marbling in Japanese Black beef cattle

Expression profiles of carnosine synthesis–related genes in mice after ingestion of carnosine or ß-alanine

Abstract Background Carnosine is a dipeptide that improves exercise performance. The carnosine synthesis mechanism through carnosine and ß-alanine ingestion remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the tissue distribution of carnosine synthase, ATP-grasp domain-containing protein-1 (ATPGD1) mRNA, and ATPGD1 and carnosine specific dipeptidase (CN1) gene expression profiles in mice that were given carnosine or ß-alanine orally. Methods ddY mice (7-week-old) were randomly divided into three groups (n = 6 to 8 animals per group) and were orally given 2 g/kg body weight of carnosine, ß-alanine, or water. After 15, 30, 60, 120, 180, or 360 min of treatment, the tissues (brain, blood, liver, kidneys, olfactory bulbs, hindleg muscles) were collected. The obtained tissues measured the expression of ATPGD1 and CN1 genes using quantitative PCR methods. Results The ATPGD1 gene was expressed in muscle and to a lesser extent in brain. The expression of ATPGD1 in the vastus lateralis muscle increased significantly at 180 min (P = 0.023) after carnosine ingestion and 60 (P = 0.023) and 180 min (P = 0.025) after ß-alanine ingestion. Moreover, the carnosine group showed a significantly increased renal expression of the CN1 gene 60 min after ingestion (P = 0.0015). Conclusions The ATPGD1 gene showed high expression levels in brain and muscle. The ß-alanine or carnosine administration significantly increased ATPGD1 and CN1 expression in mice.</p