Functional Characterization of the Gene and Its Association with Growth Traits in the Yellowfin Seabream (Hottuyn, 1782).

Myostatin (mstn), also known as GDF8, is a growth and differentiation factor of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily and plays a key inhibitory effect in the regulation of skeletal muscle development and growth in vertebrates. In the present study, to comprehend the role of the mstn2 gene of the yellowfin seabream (), the genomic sequence of is 2359 bp, which encodes 360 amino acids and is composed of three exons and two introns, was obtained. Two typical regions, a TGF-β propeptide and TGF-β domain, constitute The topology indicated that was grouped together with other Perciformes, such as the gilthead seabream . Moreover, was mainly expressed in the brain, fins, and spleen. Furthermore, five SNPs, one in the exons and four in the introns, were identified in the gene. The allele and genotype frequencies of SNP- +1885 A/G were significantly related to the total weight, interorbital distance, stem length, tail length, caudal length, caudal height, body length, and total length ( < 0.05). The allele and genotype frequencies of SNP- +1888 A/G were significantly related to the weight, interorbital distance, long head behind the eyes, body height, tail length, caudal length, and body length. Additionally, the relationship between the SNP- +1915 A/G locus and weight and long head behind the eyes was significant ( < 0.05). Furthermore, the other two SNPs were not significantly associated with any traits. Thus, the SNPs identified in this study could be utilized as candidate SNPs for breeding and marker-assisted selection in .