Abstract: The MUSTN1 (musculoskeletal, embryonic nuclear protein 1) gene plays an important role in the development and regeneration of the mammalian musculoskeletal system and has a high expression in the muscle. In the present study, we cloned the porcine MUSTN1 genome DNA sequence including the full-length cDNA. Analysis of the genomic sequence revealed that porcine MUSTN1 consists of 3 exons separated by 2 introns. It contains a 237 bp open reading frame flanked by 251 bp 5’UTR and 216 bp 3’UTR. Radiation hybrid mapping data indicated that the porcine MUSTN1 gene was located to chromosome 13q12-q22. The expression data revealed that the porcine MUSTN1 gene is widely expressed in the examined tissues and has an especially high expression level in muscle tissues. One single nucleotide polymorphism c. 265C >T was identified in the 3’UTR of the porcine MUSTN1 gene and genotyped by the NruI PCR-RFLP. Association analysis showed that different genotypes of the MUSTN1 gene were significantly associated with ADG (average daily gain from birth to 100 kg), percentage of ham, proportion of lean and bone of the ham and meat color (p<0.05). Thus, the mutation can be applied to pig breeding by molecular Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS).
X.L. Han, X.W. Xu and B. Liu, 2010. Molecular Characteristics of the Porcine MUSTN1 Gene and its Significant Association with Economic Traits. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 9: 2351-2356.