• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.1542-1547
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• 2005

The Melanocortin-4 Receptor (MC4R) and Insulin-like Growth Factor 2 (IGF2) are two important candidate genes related to fat deposition and carcass traits. MC4R was found on study on human obesity and then was studied as candidate gene affecting food intake and fat deposition traits in mice and pigs. Insulin-like Growth Factor 2 (IGF2) gene plays an important role on tumor cell proliferation and muscle growth. It also affects fat traits and live weight in pigs. In this paper, MC4R and IGF2 were studied as two candidate genes associated with important economic traits such as fat deposition and carcass traits in five different pig populations. Taq I-PCR-RFLP and Bcn I-PCR-RFLP were respectively used to detect the polymorphism of genotypes of MC4R and IGF2 genes. Different MC4R genotype frequencies were observed in four populations. IGF2 genotype frequencies were also different in two populations. The results of association analysis show both MC4R and IGF2 genes were significantly associated with fat deposition and carcass traits in about 300 pigs. This work will add new evidence of MC4R and IGF2 affecting fat deposition and carcass traits in pigs and show that two genes can be used as important candidate genes for marker assistant selection (MAS) of growth and lean meat percentage in pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.455-461
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• 2017

Objective: Polymorphisms occurring in the precursor region of microRNAs (miRNAs) affect the target gene and alter the biogenesis of miRNAs, resulting in phenotypic variation. The purpose of the study was to investigate the genetic effects of rs16681031 (C>G) mutation in the precursor region of gga-miR-1658 on the economic traits of the Gushi-Anka chicken F2 resource population. Methods: To explore the effect of miR-1658 polymorphisms on chicken economic traits, the SNP was genotyped by MassArray matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. The association between the SNP and chicken body size, growth and carcass traits was determined by linear mixed models. Results: The SNP was not only significantly associated with body weight at the age of 6, 8, 10, 12 weeks, respectively, but also with the breadth of the chicken chest, body slanting length and pelvic breadth at 4 weeks, chest depth at 8 weeks of age, and body slanting length at 12 weeks (p<0.05), respectively. Conclusion: Our data serve as a useful resource for further analysis of miRNA function, and represent a molecular genetic basis for poultry breeding.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1359-1364
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to find any association of the bovine growth hormone (bGH) gene with growth and carcass quality traits in Korean native cattle, Hanwoo. Genomic DNA was extracted from 21 Hanwoo individuals, and the 47 to 2,528 bp region of the bGH 2,856 bp (GenBank accession number M57764) including the promoter and the five exons was sequenced. A total of ten bGH SNPs were confirmed, including four (253 C>T, 303 C>T, 502 C>T, and 559 G>A) in the promoter, one (679 C>T) in exon 1, one (1,692 T>C) in intron 3, and four (2141 C>G, 2258 C>T, 2277 C>T, and 2291 A>C) in exon 5. The ten bGH SNPs were genotyped for a sample of 242 Hanwoo steers and association tests were performed to find any significant SNP that was correlated with growth and carcass quality. Of the SNPs, the 303 C>T SNP in the promoter region was significantly associated with 6-month-old weight, the 559 G>A SNP with longissimus dorsi muscle area, the 2141 C>G SNP in exon 5 with daily weight gain, and the 2258 C>T SNP with daily weight gain and carcass weight (p<0.05). The significant SNPs need to be verified in other Hanwoo populations before considering implementation of marker-assisted selection for genetic improvement of growth and carcass quality in Hanwoo.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.455-462
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• 1995

Arbor Acres broiler chickens (N=288) with an average initial weight of 59.4 g were fed diets varying in protein and lysine (80, 100, 120% of NRC; 100, 120% of NRC, 1984) in order to investigate the effects of supplemental chromium picolinate on growth performance, nutrient utilizability, carcass composition, serum traits and in vitro protein synthesis. Six replicates of eight chicks were grouped into one treatment Six chicks were sacrificed from each treatment for carcass analysis, and six additional chicks were chosen and dissected for in vitro culture of liver tissue. Body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion, mortality, carcass composition and serum glucose, HDL/cholesterol ratio, serum triglyceride and serum nonesterified fatty acid appeared to be affected by either the level of dietary crude protein or lysine when supplemented with 200 ppb chromium picolinate (p < 0.05). Retained and secreted proteins in liver acinar cell cultured in vitro were not affected by dietary lysine level but affected by dietary protein level when added with 200 ppb chromium picolinate.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.1776-1783
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• 2002

A population segregating for the naked neck (Na) gene was used to evaluate its effect on fast growing broilers at heat stress. An experimental stock comparable to those of modern broilers was established by backcrossing to colour synthetic male and female lines. Matings between heterozygous (Na/na) males and females produced normally feathered (na/na), heterozygous (Na/na) and homozygous (Na/Na) chicks for the present study. Day old to seven week old coloured broilers of three genotypes viz. normally feathered (na/na), heterozygous naked neck (Na/na) and homozygous naked neck (Na/Na) were compared for heat dissipation, growth performance, body conformation traits, blood biochemical parameters and carcass traits in tropical climate. In hot climate, naked neck broilers had significantly less body temperature and better heat dissipation capabilities as compared to normal broilers. The naked neck broilers had significantly higher body weight and better feed conversion ratio than na/na broilers. The Na/Na or Na/na broilers exhibited higher giblet yield, blood loss and lower feather mass compared to na/na broilers. The results indicated that the reduction in feather coverage in Na/Na and Na/na broilers facilitates better heat dissipation with lower body temperature, more body weight gain, better FCR and carcass traits compared to normal broilers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.941-946
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• 2008

Single-minded 1 gene (SIM1) is a homolog of Drosophila SIM1 gene which plays a key role in the midline cell lineage of the central nervous system and is implicated in the regulation of feeding behavior and obesity in the human and mouse. In this study, porcine SIM1 gene was firstly mapped to chromosome 1p13 using radiation hybrid (RH) mapping and two polymorphisms were detected at position 607 (A/G) in SIM1 intron7 and position 780 (C/T) in SIM1 exon8. The last substitution was genotyped in a 364 F2 animal-population and an association analysis of these genotypes was performed with growth, carcass and meat quality traits by the statistical animal model. The results showed the significant influence of the SIM1 genotype on growth (p<0.05): live weight at birth, later period of growth and average daily gain; and effects on carcass composition (p<0.05): weight of head and buck kneed foreleg, backfat depth, loin eye area, carcass leaf fat and ham fat weights; and traits related to intramuscular fat content (p<0.05).

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.685-692
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• 2002

This study was carried out to estimate the genetic correlations for the carcass and growth traits of Hanwoo bulls measured at 12 and 18 months of age on the basis of the data form 1,823 heads of Hanwoo bulls raised at the Livestock Improvement Main Center from 1991 to 1998. Genetic correlations were estimated with multiple trait animal model using MTDFREML. The genetic correlations of the body weight at 12 months with average daily gain during 6${\sim}$12 months and with the body length were 0.76 and 0.79, respectively. The genetic correlations of the body weight at 18 months with average daily gain during 6${\sim}$18 months and with the body length were 0.86 and 0.82, respectively. The genetic correlations of the carcass weight with dressing percent, eye muscle area, backfat thickness and carcass length were 0.39, 0.37, 0.44 and 0.63, respectively. And estimate of 0.36 was obtained for the genetic correlation between backfat thickness and marbling score. The high and positive genetic correlations of 0.71 and 0.96 were estimated for the carcass weight with the body weights at 12 and 18 months. The genetic correlations of the carcass weight with body lengths at 12 and 18 months were 0.63 and 0.75, respectively. Positive genetic correlations were estimated for the dressing percentage with the body weight, average daily gain, body length, thurls width and chest girth. Low genetic correlations were estimated between eye muscle area and the growth traits ranging from -0.07 to 0.32. Dressing percentage was low correlated genetically with the growth traits except for the chest girth at 18 months. The genetic correlation between marbling score and chest girth at 18 months estimated was 0.25.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1074-1080
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• 2017

Objective: The growth, carcass and retail cut yield records on 1,428 Hanwoo steers obtained through progeny testing were analyzed in this study, and their heritability and genetic relationships among the traits were estimated using animal models. Methods: Two different models were compared in this study. Each model was fitted for different fixed class effects, date of slaughter for carcass traits and batch of progeny test live measurement traits, and a choice of covariates (carcass weight in Model 1 or backfat thickness in Model 2) for carcass traits. Results: The differences in body composition among individuals were deemed being unaffected by their age at slaughter, except for carcass weight and backfat thickness. Heritability estimates of body size measurements were 0.21 to 0.36. Heritability estimates of retail cut percentage were high (0.56 from Model 1 and 0.47 from Model 2). And the heritability estimates for loin muscle percentage were 0.36 from Model 1 and 0.42 from Model 2, which were high enough to consider direct selection on carcass cutability traits as effective. The genetic correlations between body size measurements and retail cut ratio (RCR) were close to zero. But, some negative genetic correlations were found with chest girths measured at yearling (Model 1) or at 24 months of age or with chest widths. Loin muscle ratio (LMR) was genetically negatively correlated with body weights or body size measurements, in general in Model 1. These relationships were low close to zero but positive in Model 2. Phenotypic correlation between cutability traits (RCR, LMR) and live body size measurements were moderate and negative in Model 1 while those in Model 2 were all close to zero. Conclusion: Therefore, the body weights or linear body measurements at an earlier age may not be the most desirable selection traits for exploitation of correlated responses to improve loin muscle or lean meat yield.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.57 no.11
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• pp.39.1-39.5
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• 2015

The effects of castration time on growth and carcass traits of elk bulls were investigated. Twelve bulls at 5 years old were raised and fed on concentrate with ad libitum hay. All animals were allocated randomly to each of four treatment groups (3 heads/group). Groups of each treatment were castrated surgically in March, April or June and managed together with non-castration (entire) treatment. All elk bulls in the trial were slaughtered at same time. Growth parameters, carcass yield and composition were recorded. The total gain and average daily gain was higher when castrated in April (p < 0.05). The entire elk produced heaviest and highest in saddle and brisket portions (p < 0.05). It is apparent that the castrate animals carried more total fat weight and percentages than the entire males (p < 0.05). It was found that loin muscles from non-castrated elk, in comparison with those from castrated one, had higher content of moisture and lower content of fat (p < 0.05). In this study, growth parameters, carcass yields and chemical composition were greatly affected by castration time.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.287-291
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) for growth and carcass quality traits on BTA6 in a population of Hanwoo cattle. Three hundred and sixty one steers were produced from 39 sires that were sired by 17 grandsires in the two Hanwoo farming branches of the National Livestock Research Institute of Korea, between Spring 2000 and Fall 2002. DNA samples were collected for all of the steers, sires and grandsires, and the phenotypes for six growth and carcass quality traits were measured at 24 months of age. Twelve microsatellite markers were chosen on BTA6 and a linkage map was constructed by using seven of the twelve markers. Then, a chromosome-wide QTL scan was performed by applying an Animal Model, in which effects of QTL alleles within the grand sires were fitted as a random term. Three QTL were detected at the 5% chromosome-wise level for backfat thickness, average daily gain, and final weight. The most likely positions for the QTL were in the proximal region, i.e. 0 cM, 35 cM, and 63 cM, respectively. Also, another QTL for longissimus dorsi muscle area was detected at the 10% chromosome-wise level at 67 cM. These results were, in general, consistent with our previous report, in which candidate gene analyses showed that a SNP near ILSTS035 flanked by BM4621 (62.5 cM) and BMS2460 (81.3 cM) was associated with final weight, carcass weight, average daily gain, and longissimus dorsi muscle area in the same Hanwoo population.