Association between a single nucleotide polymorphism in the bovine chemerin gene and carcass traits in Qinchuan cattle

Bibliometric Analysis of Research on the Main Genes Involved in Meat Tenderness

Simple Summary

A bibliometric analysis was carried out to know the evolution of research on genes associated with meat tenderness, of interest for the development of selection programs. Since 1993, studies have been limited to a few researchers in high-income countries due to the costs associated with the techniques. The main findings showed that the scientific production had a discontinuous growth because science experienced a significant change since approximately 2010. Marker-assisted selection was widely used, evaluating mainly CAPN (calpain) and CAST (calpastatin) genes for their contribution to meat tenderness, especially in cattle. However, the effects are small; therefore, genomic selection was implemented by genotyping thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for further explanation of genetic variation. The results shown are important for scholars to identify emerging methodologies and gaps in the literature and to know who the prolific authors and institutions in the field for possible collaborations, etc., are.

Abstract

Tenderness is one of the main characteristics of meat because it determines its price and acceptability. This is the first bibliometric study on the trend of research on the role of genes in meat tenderness. A total of 175 original and English-language articles published up to 2021 were retrieved from Scopus. The bibliometric analysis was carried out with VOSviewer (version 1.6.18, Eck and Waltman, Leiden, Netherlands) and complemented with the Analyze search results service from Scopus. Erroneous and duplicate data were eliminated, and incomplete information was added to standardize the results. Scientific production was evaluated by means of quantity, quality and structure indicators. As a first glance, 8.816% of authors have published more than 50% of papers mainly related to genes encoding the calpain (CAPN)-calpastatin (CAST) system and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Among other findings, a strong link was found between the contribution of the main countries (led by the United States with) and their institutions (led by the USDA Agricultural Research Service with) to their gross domestic product. Most studies on the topic are published in the Journal of Animal Science, and other journals with high impact according to the number of citations and different metrics. Finally, when evaluating the most cited articles, the occurrence and association of the main keywords, it was confirmed that research is focused on the role of CAPN and CAST genes and of SNPs in beef tenderness. The change in science was emphasized; although marker-assisted selection is still used, genes have an infinitesimal effect on complex traits. Therefore, since about 2010, new research groups adopted genomic selection to evaluate dense panels of SNPs and better explain genetic variation in meat tenderness.

Possible involvement of the RARRES2/CMKLR1-system in metabolic and reproductive parameters in Holstein dairy cows

BACKGROUND

In dairy cows, the energy cost of milk yield results in a negative energy balance (EB) and body fat mobilization that impairs reproductive efficiency. Emerging evidence suggests that the novel adipokines, Retinoic acid receptor responder protein 2 (RARRES2), and its main receptor, Chemokine-like receptor 1 (CMKLR1) are involved in the regulation of metabolic and ovarian functions. So, we investigated in a first experiment the plasma RARRES2, and RARRES2 and CMKLR1 mRNA expression levels in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and granulosa cells (GC) at different times of body fat mobilization in dairy cows (4, 8, 20 and 44 weeks postpartum, wk. pp. for SAT and 8, 20 and 44 wk. pp. for GC). Then, in a second experiment we examined the effect of high (HE) and low energy (LE) diets on the RARRES2 system and its links with metabolic and reproductive parameters.

METHODS

The first experiment included 9 animals fed with HE diet from 4 to 44 wk. pp. and the second one included animals fed either a HE diet (n = 8) or a LE diet (n = 8) from - 4 to 16 wk. peripartum. In both experiments, various metabolic and reproductive parameters were determined and associated with plasma RARRES2 as measured by bovine ELISA. RARRES2 and CMKLR1 mRNA expression levels were analyzed by RT-qPCR in SAT after biopsy and GC after aspiration of follicles.

RESULTS

Plasma RARRES2 levels were higher at 4 wk. pp. as compared to 20 and 44 wk. pp. and they were positively correlated with body fat mobilization and milk yield. RARRES2 and CMKLR1 mRNA expression levels increased from 4 to 8 wk. pp. (fat mobilization, EB < 0) and remained unchanged at 20 and 44 wk. pp. (fat reconstitution, EB > 0) as compared to 4 wk. pp. in SAT. RARRES2 and CMKLR1 mRNA levels decreased from 8 to 44 wk. pp. in GC from small follicles. In the second experiment, plasma RARRES2 increased from - 4 to 8 wk. peripartum similarly in both LE and HE cows. In addition, the area under of plasma RARRES2 curve was highly negatively associated with the number of small follicles obtained in HE animals during the cycle before the first artificial insemination. In SAT of HE cows, RARRES2 mRNA expression decreased at 1 wk. pp. compared to - 4 and 16 wk. peripartum whereas opposite expression patterns were obtained for CMKLR1. Similar results were observed for CMKLR1 mRNA expression in LE cows while there was no variation in RARRES2 mRNA expression. Moreover, RARRES2 mRNA was higher expressed in LE than in HE cows at 1 wk. pp.

CONCLUSIONS

The lactation-induced fat and energy mobilization influenced plasma RARRES2 profile and mRNA expression pattern of RARRES2 and CMKLR1 similarly in both SAT and GC. In addition, the energy content of the diet did not affect plasma RARRES2 but it altered RARRES2 mRNA expression in SAT and the area under the curve of plasma RARRES2 that was negatively associated to the number of small follicles in HE animals. Thus, RARRES2 could be a metabolic or ovarian signal involved in the interactions between metabolic and reproductive functions in dairy cows.

The application of gene marker-assisted selection and proteomics for the best meat quality criteria and body measurements in Qinchuan cattle breed

In the past few decades, enhancement of animal productivity has been gaining increasing attention among decisions-makers, politicians, mangers, and breeders, because of the increasing of world population and shortage of natural resources. The selection of high productivity animals is the main goal, through the application of genetic improvement programs. The use of molecular genetics has conferred significant breeding advantages over conventional breeding techniques. In this regard, many economic characteristics are controlled by a small number of multiple gene loci, each of which is responsible for trait diversity and hence they are referred to as quantitative trait loci (QTL). Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which have recently been discovered through DNA sequencing, are considered one of the most useful types of genetic marker. SNPs are found where different nucleotides occur at the same position in the DNA sequence. They are found in both coding and noncoding regions of the genome and are present at one SNP in every 1000 b. Strategies for the identification and application of markers are based on reference to examples of loci that can control various traits. Furthermore, markers for growth, body measurements, and meat quality traits are preferred, because they can be used to predict the performance of animals, via blood samples, in the first few days of animal life. Marker-assisted selection using SNPs, such asSIRT1, SIRT2, LPL, CRTC2, SIX4, UCPs, and ZBTB38as selection criteria of body measurements and meat traits in beef cattle, will be beneficial in selection and breeding programs. The proteomic is a novel marker and a new approache of biotechnology which increases the understanding of the biological processes, besides being a remarkable biomarker that interrelated to growth and meat quality traits. Proteomics is a vigorous tool as usage for deduces molecular processes between quality traits and muscle proteins, which are helpful in analyzing the mechanisms of biochemistry that influence quality. So they could be potential biomarker for some meat quality traits. Among them, Actin, Myosin, Heat shock proteins are used a novel approaches in the field of biotechnology to understand the proteomics changes. This review article highlights the novel findings on the potential use of MAS and proteomics as biomarker for the selection for meat quality and carcass traits in Qinchuan cattle breed.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in the Coding Region of Bovine Chemerin Gene and Their Associations with Carcass Traits in Japanese Black Cattle

Chemerin, highly expressed in adipose and liver tissues, regulates glucose and lipid metabolism and immunity in these tissues in ruminants and mice. Our previous reports showed that chemerin is involved in adipogenesis and lipid metabolism in adipose tissue as an adipokine. The aim of the present study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the coding region of the chemerin gene and to analyze their effects on carcass traits and intramuscular fatty acid compositions in Japanese Black cattle. The SNPs in the bovine chemerin gene were detected in 232 Japanese Black steers (n = 161) and heifers (n = 71) using DNA sequencing. The results revealed five novel silent mutations: NM_001046020: c.12A>G (4aa), c.165G<A (55aa), c.276C>T (92aa), c.321 A>G (107aa), and c.396C>T (132aa). There was no association between 4 of the SNPs (c.12A>G [4aa], c.165G<A [55aa], c.321 A>G [107aa], and c.396C>T) and carcass traits or intramuscular fatty acid compositions. Regarding the remaining SNP, c.276C>T, we found that cattle with genotype CC had a higher beef marbling score than that of cattle with genotype CT, whereas cattle with genotype CT had a higher body condition score (p<0.10). Further, cattle with genotype CC had significantly higher C18:0 content in their intramuscular fat tissue than that of cattle with genotype CT (p<0.05). On the other hand, cattle with genotype CT had significantly higher C14:0 and C16:0 content in their intramuscular fat tissue (p<0.05). Moreover, the number of individuals carrying the minor allele of c.276C>T SNP is small. It is suggested that the c.276C>T SNP of the chemerin gene has potential in cattle breeding using modern methods, such as marker assisted selection. So, further functional and physiological research elucidating the impact of the chemerin gene on bovine lipid metabolism including fatty acid synthesis will help in understanding these results.