• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.47 no.2
• /
• pp.167-176
• /
• 2005

PIGK(phosphatidylinositol glycan, class K) is a subunit of GPI transamidase that cleaves the signal peptide in proproteins and replaces it with GPI. In addition, the structure and synthesis of GPI are critically involved in some of the cellular actions of insulin. Therefore, PIGK would be essential for mammalian development and many specific cellular functions as well as for metabolic activity of insulin associated with GPI. Two types of" full-length cDNAs of porcine PIGK were cloned through RT-PCR and RACE experiments. One is thought to be a normal form(consist of 395 amino acids) and the other is considered as an alternative spliced form(consist of 371 amino acids) which contains additional 63 bps in intron 7. Since a stop codon was contained within the insertion, the spliced form has a shorter coding sequence than that of normal form. A missense mutation (T314I) in exon 6 was detected and used for genotyping to estimate association with the growth and fat deposition traits for 545 $F_2$ animals(Korean native boars ${\times}$ Landrace). From the PCR-RFLP analysis using HpyCH4III, CT genotype showed highly significant relationship(P< 0.01) with carcass fat contents.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.19 no.12
• /
• pp.1706-1710
• /
• 2006

Leptin receptor (OBR) is a member of the class I cytokine receptor family. It signals mainly via the JAK/STAT pathway and plays an important role in regulating body energy storage and metabolism. This study was designed to investigate the effects of the OBR gene on chicken growth and body composition. Broiler lines selected divergently for or against abdominal fat were used. Primers for the exon9-region in the OBR gene were designed using chicken genomic sequences from the public genome domain. A C/A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was found and its three genotypes (AA, AB and BB) were identified in this population. The results showed that the OBR polymorphism was associated with fatness traits, such as abdominal fat weight and abdominal fat percentage. This research suggests that OBR or a linked gene has effect on fat deposition in the chicken.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.36 no.2_spc
• /
• pp.350-363
• /
• 2023

Beef quality is characterized by marbling (marbling degree and marbling fineness), physiochemical (shear force, meat color, fat color, texture, and maturity), and sensory (tenderness, flavor, juiciness, taste, odor, and appearance) traits. This paper summarizes and addresses beef-quality characteristics and the beef-grading systems in Korea, Japan, the USA, and Australia. This paper summarizes recent research progresses on the genetic and nutritional factors that affect beef quality. Intramuscular (i.m.) adipose tissue deposition or marbling is a major determinant of beef quality. This paper addresses the mechanisms of i.m. adipose tissue deposition focused on adipogenesis and lipogenesis. We also address selected signaling pathways associated with i.m. adipose tissue deposition. Nutrients contribute to the cellular response and phenotypes through gene expression and metabolism. This paper addresses control of gene expression through several nutrients (carbohydrates, fat/fatty acids, vitamins, etc.) for i.m. adipose tissue deposition. Several transcription factors responsible for gene expression via nutrients are addressed. We introduce the concept of genome-based precision feeding in Korean cattle.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.56 no.8
• /
• pp.27.1-27.6
• /
• 2014

The fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene plays an important role in the regulation of energy homeostasis, fat deposition and obesity. For this reason, the FTO gene is a physiological and functional candidate gene for carcass and meat quality traits in beef cattle. The objectives of this study were to identify SNPs in the exonic regions of FTO gene and to evaluate the association of these SNPs with carcass traits in Hanwoo (Korean cattle). In this study, we newly identified two exonic SNPs in Hanwoo population. The g.125550A > T SNP was located in exon 3 and the g.175675C > T SNP was located in exon 6. Genotyping of the two SNP markers was carried out using PCR-RFLP analysis in Hanwoo steers to evaluate their association with carcass traits. As a result, g.125550A > T SNP genotype was significantly associated with effects on marbling score. Animals with the AA and TT homozygous genotypes had a significantly higher marbling score (p < 0.001) than those with AT heterozygous genotype, and this was significant after Bonferroni correction of the significance threshold (p = 0.003). Dominance effect was also observed for the marbling score (P < 0.05) with higher marbling score of homozygous animals. However, no significant associations with meat quality traits were observed for the g.175675C > T SNP. Our results suggest that the exonic SNP g.125550A > T in the FTO gene may be used as a DNA marker for the selection of Hanwoo with higher marbling.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.19 no.5
• /
• pp.611-616
• /
• 2006

Genetic parameters for performance traits on 409 bulls and growth and carcass traits on 591 of their steer progeny were estimated in Japanese Black cattle with Gibbs sampling. Traits of bulls included body weight at the start (BWS) and finish (BWF) of test, daily gain (DG), concentrate, roughage and TDN intake, and TDN conversion ratio. Progeny traits were BWS, BWF, DG, rib eye area, marbling score (MSR), dressing percentage and subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT). In bulls, heritabilities were high for BWS (0.50) and BWF (0.63) and moderate for concentrate (0.48) and TDN intake (0.45), while in progeny, the heritability for all the studied traits was moderate to high (ranging from 0.30 to 0.73), highlighting the potential for genetic improvement of these traits. Genetic correlations between TDN intake and growth traits (BWS, BWF and DG) in bulls were highly positive (ranging from 0.77 to 0.94). The weak but negative genetic correlation (-0.20) between MSR and SFT in progeny indicated that improvement of beef marbling without increasing subcutaneous fat deposition could be possible. The estimated genetic correlations of roughage intake of bulls with body weights (BWS and BWF) and MSR of their progeny were moderate (ranging from 0.35 to 0.52). On the basis of the selection for bulls, growth traits and TDN intake correlated positively with SFT (ranging from 0.43 to 0.53) of their progeny, suggesting the necessity of controlling the increase of SFT in selection programs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.338-346
• /
• 2017

Objective: This study was conducted to identify and evaluate the effective single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for fat deposition in the longissimus dorsi muscles of pigs using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) approach. Methods: Sixty-four selective primer combinations were used to identify the AFLP markers in the 20 highest- and 20 lowest-intramuscular fat (IMF) content phenotypes. Five AFLP fragments were converted into simple codominant SNP markers. These SNP markers were tested in terms of their association with IMF content and fatty acid (FA) composition traits in 620 commercially crossbred pigs. Results: The SSC7 g.4937240C>G marker showed an association with IMF content (p<0.05). The SSC9 g.5496647_5496662insdel marker showed a significant association with IMF content and arachidonic levels (p<0.05). The SSC10 g.71225134G>A marker revealed an association with palmitoleic and ${\omega}9$ FA levels (p<0.05), while the SSC17 g.61976696G>T marker showed a significant association with IMF content and FA levels of palmitoleic, eicosenoic, arachidonic, monounsaturated fatty acids, and ${\omega}9$ FA levels. However, no significant association of SSC8 g.47338181G>A was observed with any IMF and FA levels in this study. Conclusion: Four SNP markers (SSC7 g.4937240C>G, SSC9 g.5496647_5496662insdel, SSC10 g.71225134G>A, and SSC17 g.61976696G>T) were found to be associated with IMF and/or FA content traits in commercially crossbred pigs. These findings provide evidence of the novel SNP markers as being potentially useful for selecting pigs with the desirable IMF content and FA composition.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.34 no.9
• /
• pp.1569-1578
• /
• 2021

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the potential effects of prolonged photoperiod on the serum lipids, carcass traits, and meat quality of Jinjiang cattle during winter. Methods: Thirty-four Jinjiang bulls aged between 14 and 16 months were randomly assigned to two groups that were alternatively subjected to either natural daylight +4 h supplemental light (long photoperiod, LP) or natural daylight (natural photoperiod, NP) for 96 days. The potential effects on the levels of serum lipids, carcass traits, meat quality, and genes regulating lipid metabolism in the intramuscular fat (IMF) of the cattle were evaluated. Results: Jinjiang cattle kept under LP showed significant increase in both dry matter intake and backfat thickness. the serum glucose and the plasma leptin levels were significantly reduced, while that of melatonin and insulin were observed to be increased. The crude fat contents of biceps femoris muscle and longissimus dorsi muscle were higher in LP than in NP group. In longissimus dorsi muscle, the proportions of C17:0 and C18:0 were significantly higher but that of the C16:1 was found to be significantly lower in LP group. The relative mRNA expressions in IMF of longissimus dorsi muscle, the lipid synthesis genes (proliferator-activated receptor gamma, fatty acid-binding protein) and the fatty acid synthesis genes (acetyl-coa carboxylase, fatty acid synthetase, 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase) were significantly up-regulated in LP group (p<0.05); whereas the hormone-sensitive lipase and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 were significantly down-regulated in LP than in NP group. Conclusion: Prolonged photoperiod significantly altered the growth performance, hormonal levels, gene expression and fat deposition in Jinjiang cattle. It suggested that the LP improved the fat deposition by regulating the levels of different hormones and genes related to lipid metabolism, thereby improving the fattening of Jinjiang cattle during winter.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.22 no.7
• /
• pp.943-954
• /
• 2009

Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) is a key enzyme that catalyzes the final and rate-limiting step of triglyceride synthesis. Both DGAT1 and DGAT2 genes code proteins with DGAT activity. Studies have shown DGAT1 polymorphisms associate with intramuscular fat deposition in beef cattle, but fewer associations between DGAT2 and beef cattle economic traits have been reported. The objective of this study was to investigate single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in intron3 of bovine DGAT2 and evaluate the associations of that with carcass, meat quality, and fat yield traits. Test animals were 157 commercial feedlot steers belonging to 3 Chinese native breeds (22 for Luxi, 24 for Jinnan, and 23 for Qinchuan), 3 cross populations (20 for Charolais${\times}$Fuzhou, 18 for Limousin ${\times}$Luxi, and 17 for Simmental${\times}$Jinan) and 1 Taurus pure breed population (16 Angus steers). In the current study, 15 SNP were discovered in intron3 and exon4 of DGAT2 at positions 65, 128, 178, 210, 241, 255, 270, 312, 328, 334, 365, 366, 371, 415, and 437 (named as their positions in PCR amplified fragments). Only 7 of them (128, 178, 241, 270, 312, 328, and 371) were analyzed, because SNP in three groups (65-128-255, 178-210-365 and 241-334-366) were in complete linkage disequilibrium within the group, and SNP 415 was a deletion and 437 was a null mutation. Frequencies for rare alleles in the 3 native breed populations were higher than in the 3 cross populations for 178 (p = 0.04), 270 (p = 0.001), 312 (p = 0.03) and 371 (p = 0.002). A general linear model was used to evaluate the associations between either SNP genotypes or allele substitutions and the measured traits. Results showed that SNP 270 had a significant association with the fat yield associated with kidney, pelvic cavity, heart, intestine, and stomach (KPHISY). Animals with genotype CC and CT for 270 had less (CC: -7.71${\pm}$3.3 kg and CT: -5.34${\pm}$2.5 kg) KPHISY than animals with genotype TT (p = 0.02). Allele C for 270 was associated with an increase of -4.26${\pm}$1.52 kg KPHISY (p = 0.006) and $-0.92{\pm}0.45%$ of retail cuts weight percentage (NMP, Retail cuts weight/slaughter body weight) (p = 0.045); allele G for 312 was associated with an increase of -5.45${\pm}$2.41 kg KPHISY (p = 0.026). An initial conclusion was that associations do exist between DGAT2 gene and carcass fat traits. Because of the small sample size of this study, it is proposed that further effort is required to validate these findings in larger populations.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.680-691
• /
• 2021

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of fermented cottonseed meal (FCSM) on growth performance, carcass traits, and fat deposition in white-feather broiler chickens. Methods: A total of 480 male one-day-old white-feather broiler chickens were selected randomly and divided into four groups with six replicates of 20 chickens in each. The experimental chickens were fed diets including 3%, 6%, or 9% FCSM fermented by Candida tropicalis until 42 days old. In the experiment, the chickens of the control group were fed soybean meal. Results: FCSM supplementation linearly decreased the feed conversion ratio from d 15 to 21 and d 36 to 42, respectively (p<0.05). The percentage of carcass and semi-eviscerate increased in response to dietary FCSM supplementation at d 21 (p<0.05). The percentage of eviscerated and semi-eviscerate of 3FCSM was higher than that in other groups at d 35 (p<0.05). At the age of 42 d, the percentage of carcass increased in a quadratic way among increasing FCSM in diets (p<0.05). The subcutaneous fat thickness linearly decreased with the increasing levels of FCSM at d 21 (p<0.05). Gompertz and Logistic functions provided a better fit on abdominal fat and subcutaneous fat, respectively. The best fitted equation predicted that the maximum growth rate of abdominal fat weight and subcutaneous fat thickness occurred at d 28. FCSM had no significant effects on the shape of growth curve of abdominal fat weight and subcutaneous fat thickness, but reduced the height of the curve. Birds receiving the 6FCSM diet for 21 d had smaller adipocyte surface and lower serum glucose as well as triglyceride concentration. Conclusion: FCSM is beneficial for broiler chickens as it positively affects their growth and carcass in addition to altering their fat deposition.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.36 no.2_spc
• /
• pp.333-338
• /
• 2023

Genetic modification enables modification of target genes or genome structure in livestock and experimental animals. These technologies have not only advanced bioscience but also improved agricultural productivity. To introduce a foreign transgene, the piggyBac transposon element/transposase system could be used for production of transgenic animals and specific target protein-expressing animal cells. In addition, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-CRISPR associated protein 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) system have been utilized to generate chickens with knockout of G0/G1 switch gene 2 (G0S2) and myostatin, which are related to lipid deposition and muscle growth, respectively. These experimental chickens could be the invaluable genetic resources to investigate the regulatory pathways and mechanisms of improvement of economic traits such as fat quantity and growth. The gene-edited animals could also be applicable to the livestock industry.