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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 #176426
Title: ASSESSMENT OF POSITIONAL CANDIDATE GENES MYF5 AND IGF1 FOR GROWTH ON BOVINE CHROMOSOME 5 IN COMMERCIAL LINES OF BOS TAURUS

Author
item LI, C - UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA
item BASARAB, J - LACOMBE RESEARCH CENTRE
item Snelling, Warren
item BENKEL, B - LETHBRIDGE RES. CENTER
item MURDOCH, B - UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA
item HANSEN, C - UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA
item MOORE, S - UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/27/2003
Publication Date: 1/1/2004
Citation: Li, C., Basarab, J., Snelling, W.M., Benkel, B., Murdoch, B., Hansen, C., Moore, S.S. 2004. Assessment of positional candidate genes myf5 and igf1 for growth on bovine chromosome 5 in commercial lines of Bos taurus. Journal of Animal Science 82:1-7.

Interpretive Summary: Three segments of cattle chromosome 5 have been shown to influence growth traits. Candidate genes, bovine myogenic factor 5 (myf5) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (igf1), that may affect growth have been located in two of the three regions. In this study, single-nucleotide polymorphism markers identified in the two genes were tested for associations with birth weight, preweaning average daily gain, and average daily gain on feed in two commercial lines of beef cattle. The myf5 marker was associated with preweaning gain in an Angus-based maternal line, and with gain on feed in a line selected for calving ease. No strong associations were detected between the igf1 marker and of the traits examined. The polymorphism in myf5 may provide a useful DNA test to select for preweaning and postweaning gain, although further research is needed to identify other DNA variations that may explain how these segments of chromosome 5 affect growth in cattle.

Technical Abstract: Quantitative trait loci for growth traits in beef cattle have been previously reported and fine-mapped in three chromosomal regions of 0 to 30 cM, 55 to 70 cM, and 70 to 80 cM of bovine chromosome 5. In this study, we further examined the association between gene-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of two positional candidate genes, bovine myogenic factor 5 (myf5) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (igf1), in the QTL regions and the birth weight (BWT), preweaning average daily gain (PWADG), and average daily gain on feed (ADGF) in commercial lines of Bos taurus. The QTL regions for the growth traits identified using a haplotype association analysis, which included the gene-specific SNP markers for both genes in this study, were in agreement with previous studies. The gene-specific SNP marker association analysis indicated that the SNP in myf5 had a significant additive effect on PWADG in the M1 line of Beefbooster Inc. (P < 0.10), and a significant additive effect (P < 0.05) and a significant dominance effect (P < 0.10) on ADGF in the M3 line of Beefbooster Inc. When the data from the two commercial lines were pooled, the SNP in myf5 showed a significant association with PWADG (P < 0.10) and with ADGF (P < 0.05). The association between the SNP and BWT, however, did not reach a significance level in the M1 line, the M3 line, or across the lines. For igf1, no significant association between the SNP and the growth traits was detected in either the M1 line or the M3 line, whereas there was only a significant dominance effect (P < 0.10) on BWT detected for the SNP in igf1 when the data from the two commercial lines were pooled. These results suggest that myf5 is a strong candidate gene that influences PWADG and ADGF in beef cattle. The SNP of igf1 may not be a causative or close to the causative mutation that affects the three growth traits in the populations of beef cattle examined in this study. Other SNP of igf1 and myf5 or other genes in their respective chromosomal regions, however, should also be studied.