Multiple marker effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms in three genes, AKIRIN2, EDG1 and RPL27A, for marbling development in Japanese Black cattle.

Marbling in beef, measured by Beef Marbling Standard (BMS) number, is an economically important trait for beef cattle breeding and markets in Japan. We previously detected three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with BMS number of Japanese Black in Oita prefecture: c.*188G>A in AKIRIN2, g.1471620G>T in EDG1 and g.3109537C>T in RPL27A. Here, we carried out single and multiple marker association analyses for the three SNPs in a different commercial Japanese Black population of 892 genotyped animals. The single marker analyses with the model including a single SNP showed significant associations of all SNPs with BMS number. The multiple marker analysis with the model including the main effects of the three SNPs and their interactions detected only significant main effects of g.1471620G>T and g.3109537C>T and a significant interaction between c.*188G>A and g.1471620G>T. These findings suggest the presence of inter-allelic interactions among genes affecting the development of beef marbling. For effective marker-assisted selection for BMS number, interactions among these markers need to be considered.