Authors : Bin Tong, Seiki Sasaki, Youji Muramatsu, Takeshi Ohta, Hiroyuki Kose, Hideaki Yamashiro and Takahisa Yamada
Abstract: Marbling, defined by the amount and distribution of intramuscular fat is an economically important trait of beef cattle in Japan. Researchers have earlier showed that the Myosin Binding Protein C, slow type (MYBPC1) gene, known to interact with muscle protein including myosin, actin and titin to regulate muscle contraction and to express in slow-twitch oxidative fiber that is observed in high-marbled muscle and involved in development and maintenance of the fiber, possesses expression differences in musculus longissimus muscle between low-marbled Holstein and high-marbled Japanese Black steer groups. In the present study, researchers found that a marker (DIK4787) close to the MYBPC1 was polymorphic between low-marbled Holstein and high-marbled Japanese Black steer groups and exhibited significantly different allelic distribution between Japanese Black sires with extremely high predicted breeding value for marbling and with extremely low one. Further, researchers detected 3 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of the MYBPC1 gene between low-marbled Holstein and high-marbled Japanese Black steer groups. A SNP in the upstream of the promoter of the MYBPC1, referred to as g.70014208G>A, exhibited significantly different allelic distribution between animals with extremely high predicted breeding value for marbling and with extremely low one (p = 0.046). The other 2 SNPs seemed not to segregate in Japanese Black beef cattle. The findings suggest that the g.70014208G>A SNP may be related to changes in MYBPC1 gene expression and/or marbling. The g.70014208G>A SNP marker may be useful for effective marker-assisted selection to increase the levels of marbling.
Bin Tong, Seiki Sasaki, Youji Muramatsu, Takeshi Ohta, Hiroyuki Kose, Hideaki Yamashiro and Takahisa Yamada, 2012. Useful g.70014208G>A SNP Marker in MYBPC1 Gene Showing Marbling-Associated Expression Changes. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 11: 4446-4450.