Jevsinek Skok D, Kunej T, Kovac M, Malovrh S, Potocnik K, Petric N, Zgur S, Dovc P, Horvat S
Department of Animal Science, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Groblje 3, 1230 Domžale, Slovenia.
National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Anim Genet. 2016 Apr;47(2):219-22. doi: 10.1111/age.12403. Epub 2015 Dec 28.
An important aim in animal breeding is the improvement of growth and meat quality traits. Previous studies have demonstrated that genetic variants in the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene have a relatively large effect on human obesity as well as on body composition in rodents and, more recently, in livestock. Here, we examined the effects of the FTO gene variants on growth and carcass traits in the Slovenian population of Simmental (SS) and Brown (SB) cattle. To validate and identify new polymorphisms, we used sequencing, PCR-RFLP analysis and TaqMan assays in the SS breed and FTO gene variants data from the Illumina BovineSNP50 v1 array for the SB breed. Sequencing of the eight samples of progeny-tested SS sires detected 108 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the bovine FTO gene. Statistical analyses between growth and carcass traits and 34 FTO polymorphisms revealed significant association of FTO variants with lean meat percentage in both breeds. Additionally, FTO SNPs analyzed in SS cattle were associated with fat percentage, bone weight and live weight at slaughter. The FTO gene can thus be regarded as a candidate gene for the marker-assisted selection programs in our and possibly other populations of cattle. Future studies in cattle might reveal novel roles for the FTO gene in shaping carcass traits in livestock species as well as body composition control in other mammals.
动物育种的一个重要目标是改善生长和肉质性状。先前的研究表明，脂肪量和肥胖相关（FTO）基因中的遗传变异对人类肥胖以及啮齿动物和最近家畜的身体组成有较大影响。在此，我们研究了FTO基因变异对斯洛文尼亚西门塔尔牛（SS）和布朗牛（SB）群体生长和胴体性状的影响。为了验证和鉴定新的多态性，我们在SS品种中使用了测序、PCR-RFLP分析和TaqMan检测，并使用了SB品种Illumina BovineSNP50 v1芯片中的FTO基因变异数据。对经过后代测试的SS公牛的八个样本进行测序，在牛FTO基因中检测到108个单核苷酸多态性（SNP）。生长和胴体性状与34个FTO多态性之间的统计分析表明，FTO变异与两个品种的瘦肉率均存在显著关联。此外，在SS牛中分析的FTO SNP与脂肪百分比、骨重和屠宰时的活重相关。因此，FTO基因可被视为我们以及可能其他牛群体中标记辅助选择计划的候选基因。未来对牛的研究可能会揭示FTO基因在塑造家畜物种胴体性状以及其他哺乳动物身体组成控制方面的新作用。
