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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Genetics and Animal Breeding » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #163376
Title: CARCASS MERIT PROJECT: DNA MARKER VALIDATION

Author
item Thallman, Richard - Mark
item MOSER, DAN - KANSAS STATE UNIV.
item DRESSLER, ELIZABETH - NATIONAL CATTLEMEN'S BEEF
item TOTIR, RADU - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item FERNANDO, ROHAN - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item KACHMAN, STEPHEN - UNIV. OF NEBRASKA
item RUMPH, JANICE - MONTANA STATE UNIV.
item DIKEMAN, MICHAEL - KANSAS STATE UNIV.
item POLLAK, JOHN - CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/2004
Publication Date: 3/1/2005
Citation: Thallman, R.M., Moser, D.W., Dressler, E.W., Totir, R.L., Fernando, R.L., Kachman, S.D., Rumph, J.M., Dikeman, M.E., Pollak, J.E. 2005. Carcass merit project: DNA marker validation [proceedings]. Genetic Prediction Workshop Conference, December 6, 2003, p. 5-15.

Interpretive Summary: The Carcass Merit Project (CMP) was initiated in 1998 due to concern over the frequency of eating experiences that were unsatisfactory due to the toughness of the product. It was funded by the beef checkoff and by 14 participating breed associations. One objective of the project was to generate data from which genetic evaluations for tenderness and sensory traits could be computed. Greater than 8200 progeny of over 300 sires representing 14 breeds were harvested for collection of carcass and meat quality data, including marbling score, ribeye area, fat thickness, hot carcass weight, kidney, pelvic, and heart fat, and Warner-Bratzler shear force data. Sensory panel data for tenderness, juiciness and flavor was collected on 2422 progeny. Several breed associations are using data generated by the CMP to compute and publish expected progeny differences for tenderness and sensory traits, as well as standard carcass traits. Heritabilities, genetic correlations, and phenotypic correlations for 11 traits were reported. Another objective of the project was to validate DNA markers discovered in previous checkoff-funded research for use in industry-wide marker-assisted selection programs for improvement of carcass traits. Microsatellite markers flanking 11 QTL previously reported to influence meat quality and composition traits were scored on a subset of the cattle described above consisting of 2615 progeny of 70 sires representing 13 breeds. Results of a single-trait analysis treating QTL as fixed effects are reported. Several of the QTL show evidence of segregation for multiple traits. Several approaches to application of the DNA component of the CMP to genetic improvement in the beef industry are discussed.

Technical Abstract: The Carcass Merit Project (CMP) was initiated in 1998 due to concern over the frequency of eating experiences that were unsatisfactory due to the toughness of the product. It was funded by the beef checkoff and by 14 participating breed associations. One objective of the project was to generate data from which genetic evaluations for tenderness and sensory traits could be computed. Greater than 8200 progeny of over 300 sires representing 14 breeds were harvested for collection of carcass and meat quality data, including marbling score, ribeye area, fat thickness, hot carcass weight, kidney, pelvic, and heart fat, and Warner-Bratzler shear force data. Sensory panel data for tenderness, juiciness and flavor was collected on 2422 progeny. Several breed associations are using data generated by the CMP to compute and publish expected progeny differences for tenderness and sensory traits, as well as standard carcass traits. Heritabilities, genetic correlations, and phenotypic correlations for 11 traits were reported. Another objective of the project was to validate DNA markers discovered in previous checkoff-funded research for use in industry-wide marker-assisted selection programs for improvement of carcass traits. Microsatellite markers flanking 11 QTL previously reported to influence meat quality and composition traits were scored on a subset of the cattle described above consisting of 2615 progeny of 70 sires representing 13 breeds. Results of a single-trait analysis treating QTL as fixed effects are reported. Several of the QTL show evidence of segregation for multiple traits. Several approaches to application of the DNA component of the CMP to genetic improvement in the beef industry are discussed.