Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.
Anim Genet. 2010 Feb;41(1):64-72. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.2009.01965.x. Epub 2009 Oct 1.
Myostatin is a regulator of myogenesis and has been implicated in the regulation of adiposity and in controlling the structure and function of tendons. Polymerase Chain Reaction Single-Stranded Conformational Polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis of intron-1 was used to identify five variants (designated A-E) of the myostatin gene (MSTN). The effect of this genetic variation on growth and carcass traits was investigated in 517 Romney male lambs from 17 sire-lines, born on a South Island New Zealand farm. General linear mixed effect models revealed that the presence of allele A in a lamb's genotype was associated with decreased leg, loin and total yield of lean meat, whereas the presence of allele B was associated with increased loin yield and proportion loin yield (loin yield divided by total yield expressed as percentage). The effect of the number of allele copies present was investigated, and it was found that the absence of A, or the presence of two copies of B, was associated with increased mean leg yield, loin yield and total yield. Two copies of B were also associated with a decrease in proportion of shoulder yield, whereas two copies of A were associated with a decrease in proportion of loin yield. Associations with allele C were not detected. No associations of MSTN variation with birth weight, weaning weight, pre-weaning growth rate, draft age and hot carcass weight (H-W) were detected. These results suggest that variation in ovine MSTN is associated with meat production, but not birth weight or growth rate in New Zealand Romney sheep.
肌肉生长抑制素是肌生成的调节剂，已被牵涉到脂肪的调节以及控制肌腱的结构和功能中。采用聚合酶链反应单链构象多态性（PCR-SSCP）分析技术对肌抑素基因（MSTN）的内含子 1 进行分析，鉴定了该基因的 5 种变异体（命名为 A-E）。在 17 个南岛新西兰农场的 sire-line 出生的 517 只罗姆尼雄性羔羊中，研究了这种遗传变异对生长和胴体性状的影响。一般线性混合效应模型显示，羔羊基因型中 A 等位基因的存在与腿部、腰部和瘦肉总产量的减少有关，而 B 等位基因的存在与腰部产量和腰部产量比例（腰部产量除以瘦肉总产量的百分比）的增加有关。研究了等位基因拷贝数存在的影响，发现 A 缺失或 B 存在两个拷贝与腿部产量、腰部产量和总产量的增加有关。B 的两个拷贝也与肩部产量比例的降低有关，而 A 的两个拷贝与腰部产量比例的降低有关。未检测到与等位基因 C 的关联。MSTN 变异与出生体重、断奶体重、断奶前生长速度、拉拔年龄和热胴体重（H-W）之间没有关联。这些结果表明，绵羊 MSTN 的变异与产肉量有关，但与新西兰罗姆尼羊的出生体重或生长速度无关。
