One Copy Number Variation within the Angiopoietin-1 Gene Is Associated with Leizhou Black Goat Meat Quality.

The gene plays a crucial role in the regulation of angiogenesis and muscle growth, with previous studies identifying copy number variations (CNVs) within this gene among Leizhou black goats. In this study, we investigated three CNVs in 417 individuals of LZBG using quantitative PCR (qPCR), examining the impact of different CNV types on the gene expression and their associations with growth and meat quality traits. Notably, the CNV-1 (ARS1_chr14:24950001-24953600) overlaps with protein-coding regions and conserved domains; its gain-of-copies genotype (copies ≥ 3) was significantly correlated with mRNA expression in muscle tissue ( < 0.01). Furthermore, the gain-of-copies genotype of CNV-1 demonstrated significant correlations with various phenotypic traits, including carcass weight, body weight, shear stress, chest circumference, and cross-sectional area of longissimus dorsi muscle. These findings indicate that the CNV-1 gain-of-copies genotype in the gene may serve as a valuable marker for selecting Leizhou black goats exhibiting enhanced growth and muscular development characteristics, thereby holding potential applications in targeted breeding programs aimed at improving meat quality.