• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.824-832
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to estimate the genetic parameters and genetic correlations for related feed efficiency, growth, and carcass traits in Hanwoo cattle. Methods: Phenotypic data from 15,279 animals born between 1989 and 2015 were considered. The related feed efficiency traits considered were Kleiber ratio (KR) and relative growth rate (RGR). Carcass traits analyzed were backfat thickness (BT), carcass weight, eye muscle area, and marbling score. Growth traits were assessed by the average daily gain (ADG), metabolic body weight (MBW) at mid-test age from 6 to 24 months, and yearling weight (YW). Variance and covariance components were estimated using restricted maximum likelihood using nine multi-trait animal models. Results: The heritability estimates for related feed efficiency (0.28±0.04 for KR and RGR) and growth traits (0.26±0.02 to 0.33±0.04) were moderate, but the carcass traits tended to be higher (0.38±0.04 to 0.61±0.06). The related feed efficiency traits were positively genetically correlated with all the carcass traits (0.37±0.09 to 0.47±0.07 for KR, and 0.14±0.09 to 0.37±0.09 for RGR), except for BT, which showed null to weak correlation. Conversely, the genetic correlations of RGR with MBW (-0.36±0.08) and YW (-0.30±0.08) were negative, and those of KR with MBW and YW were close to zero, whereas the genetic correlations of ADG with RGR (0.40±0.08) and KR (0.70±0.05) were positive and relatively moderate to high. The genetic (0.92±0.02) correlations between KR and RGR were very high. Conclusion: Sufficient genetic variability and heritability were observed for traits of interest. Moreover, the inclusion of KR and/or RGR in Hanwoo cattle breeding programs could improve the feed efficiency without producing any unfavorable effects on the carcass traits.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.600-603
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• 2009

Genetic and phenotypic parameter estimates for measurement traits were obtained from pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas at nine months old. For the growth-related traits among nine months old pacific oyster, heritabilities of shell length, shell height, shell width, total weight, body weight and shell weight were estimated as 0.4855, 0.5248, 0.0884, 0.7236, 0.7726 and 0.6957, respectively. Genetic correlations among the growth-related traits of pacific oyster at nines month old, shell length, shell height, shell width, total weight, body weight, shell weight were showing highly positive correlations. Breeding value on growth-related traits of pacific oyster at nine months old were estimated as shell length -7.044-11.870, shell height -11.380-18.370, shell width -1.234-2.831, total weight -8.339-17.140, body weight -1.813-3.507 and shell weight -4.422-8.837. The results show that there is quite substantial additive genetic variance for measurement traits in pacific oyster that can be exploited through selective breeding.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1066-1073
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• 2017

Objective: Growth-related traits are important economic traits in the swine industry. However, the genetic mechanism of growth-related traits is little known. The aim of this study was to screen the candidate genes and molecular markers associated with body dimension and body weight traits in pigs. Methods: A genome-wide association study (GWAS) on body dimension and body weight traits was performed in a White $Duroc{\times}Erhualian$ $F_2$ intercross by the illumina PorcineSNP60K Beadchip. A mixed linear model was used to assess the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the phenotypes. Results: In total, 611 and 79 SNPs were identified significantly associated with body dimension traits and body weight respectively. All SNPs but 62 were located into 23 genomic regions (quantitative trait loci, QTLs) on 14 autosomal and X chromosomes in Sus scrofa Build 10.2 assembly. Out of the 23 QTLs with the suggestive significance level ($5{\times}10^{-4}$), three QTLs exceeded the genome-wide significance threshold ($1.15{\times}10^{-6}$). Except the one on Sus scrofa chromosome (SSC) 7 which was reported previously all the QTLs are novel. In addition, we identified 5 promising candidate genes, including cell division cycle 7 for abdominal circumference, pleiomorphic adenoma gene 1 and neuropeptides B/W receptor 1 for both body weight and cannon bone circumference on SSC4, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1, and bone morphogenetic protein 7 for hip circumference on SSC17. Conclusion: The results have not only demonstrated a number of potential genes/loci associated with the growth-related traits in pigs, but also laid a foundation for studying the genes' role and further identifying causative variants underlying these loci.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.1194-1204
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• 2023

Meat quality comprises a set of key traits such as pH, meat color, water-holding capacity, tenderness and marbling. These traits are complex because they are affected by multiple genetic and environmental factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular genetic basis underlying nine meat quality-related traits in a Yorkshire pig population using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and subsequent biological pathway analysis. In total, 45,926 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers from 543 pigs were selected for the GWAS after quality control. Data were analyzed using a genome-wide efficient mixed model association (GEMMA) method. This linear mixed model-based approach identified two quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for meat color (b^*) on chromosome 2 (SSC2) and one QTL for shear force on chromosome 8 (SSC8). These QTLs acted additively on the two phenotypes and explained 3.92%-4.57% of the phenotypic variance of the traits of interest. The genes encoding HAUS8 on SSC2 and an lncRNA on SSC8 were identified as positional candidate genes for these QTLs. The results of the biological pathway analysis revealed that positional candidate genes for meat color (b^*) were enriched in pathways related to muscle development, muscle growth, intramuscular adipocyte differentiation, and lipid accumulation in muscle, whereas positional candidate genes for shear force were overrepresented in pathways related to cell growth, cell differentiation, and fatty acids synthesis. Further verification of these identified SNPs and genes in other independent populations could provide valuable information for understanding the variations in pork quality-related traits.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.807-816
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• 2024

Objective: This study aims to identify the significant regions and candidate genes of growth-related traits (adjusted backfat thickness [ABF], average daily gain [ADG], and days to 90 kg [DAYS90]) in Korean commercial GGP pig (Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire) populations. Methods: A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for imputation to Illumina PorcineSNP60. The BayesB method was applied to calculate thresholds for the significance of SNP markers. The identified windows were considered significant if they explained ≥1% genetic variance. Results: A total of 28 window regions were related to genetic growth effects. Bayesian GWAS revealed 28 significant genetic regions including 52 informative SNPs associated with growth traits (ABF, ADG, DAYS90) in Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire pigs, with genetic variance ranging from 1.00% to 5.46%. Additionally, 14 candidate genes with previous functional validation were identified for these traits. Conclusion: The identified SNPs within these regions hold potential value for future marker-assisted or genomic selection in pig breeding programs. Consequently, they contribute to an improved understanding of genetic architecture and our ability to genetically enhance pigs. SNPs within the identified regions could prove valuable for future marker-assisted or genomic selection in pig breeding programs.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.591-599
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• 2009

Genetic parameters for growth-related traits were estimated in 9-month old of two Korean abalone subspecies, Haliotis discus hannai and H. discus discus, using multiple traits of animal model. The data were collected from the records of 3,504 individuals produced from 16 sires and 17 dams in H. discus hannai and 821 individuals produced from 3 sires and 4 dams in H. discus discus, which was evaluated at the Bukjeju branch, NFRDI, from May 20, 2004 to February 14, 2005. The heritability estimates obtained from restricted maximum likelihood (REML) method range from 0.29 to 0.31 for three growth traits (shell length, shell width and body weight) in H. discus hannai and from 0.22 to 0.28 in H. discus discus, respectively. The heritabilities for shell shape and condition factor were lower than others of growth traits such as ranging from 0.03 to 0.24 in H. discus hannai and from 0.06 to 0.11 in H. discus discus, respectively. Genetic and phenotypic correlations were >0.91 between shell parameters and weight in two abalone subspecies, respectively, indicating that breeding for weight gains could be successfully achieved by selecting for shell length.

• Genes and Genomics
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• v.40 no.11
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• pp.1119-1125
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• 2018

Melanocortin 4 receptor: (MC4R) and Myostatin (MSTN) are two important growth trait-related genes in animals. In this study, we showed that two SNPs, MC4R-719A>G and MSTN-519C>T, found in the promoters of the MC4R and MSTN genes, respectively, are both associated with growth traits in Spinibarbus hollandi. Furthermore, we observed that there were significant associations between the expression levels of the MC4R and MSTN genes and these two growth trait-related SNPs. The expression level of MC4R gene in brain was lower in GG genotype fish with extremely high growth performance than that in AA genotype fish with extremely low growth performance. Expression level of the MSTN gene in muscle was lower in TT genotype fish with extremely high growth performance than that in CC and CT genotype fish with lower growth performance. The results indicated that these SNPs located in the promoters of MC4R and MSTN are associated with growth-related traits through modification of gene expression levels. The MSTN and MC4R SNPs may have useful application in effective marker-assisted selection aimed to increase output in S. hollandi.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.643-649
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• 2018

Objective: POU class 1 homeobox 1 (POU1F1) mediates growth hormone expression and activity by altering transcription, eventually resulting in growth rate variations. Therefore, we aimed to identify chicken POU1F1 polymorphisms and evaluate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and growth-related traits, and logistic growth curve parameter traits (${\alpha}$, ${\beta}$, and ${\gamma}$). Methods: Three SNPs (M_1 to M_3) were used to genotype 585 $F_1$ and 88 $F_0$ birds from five Korean native chicken lines using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Results: Single marker analyses and traits association analyses showed that M_2 was significantly associated with body weight at two weeks, weight gain from hatch to 2 weeks, and weight gain from 16 to 18 weeks (p<0.05). M_3 was significantly associated with weight gain from 14 to 16 weeks and from 16 to 18 weeks, and asymptotic body weight (${\alpha}$) (p<0.05). No traits were associated with M_1. The POU1F1 haplogroups were significantly associated with weight gain from 14 to 16 weeks (p = 0.020). Linkage disequilibrium test and Haploview analysis shown one main haploblock between M_2 and M_3 SNP. Conclusion: Thus, POU1F1 significantly affects the growth of Korean native chickens and their growth curve traits.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.47-56
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• 2023

The Quercus variabilis and Quercus dentata, which are said to be relatively drought tolerant among the important genus Quercus that represent deciduous broad-leaved forests in Korea. These two species are widely distributed worldwide in Korea, Japan and China (northern, central, western and eastern subtropical regions). This study compared the ecological niche breadth and overlap according to growth response in 4 soil moisture gradients for the two species and tried to reveal degree of competition and ecological niche characteristics. The ecological niche breadth was 0.977±0.020 for Q. variabilis and 0.979±0.014 for Q. dentata, the latter being slightly wider. And they were similar in 5 traits (stem length, leaf lamina length, leaf width length, stem weight, leaf petiole weight), Q. variabilis was more dominant in 4 traits (leaves number, stem diameter, leaf area, leaf petiole length), and Q. dentata was more dominant in 7 traits (root length, shoot length, plant weight, root weight, shoot weight, leaf weight, leaf petiole weight). The ecological niche overlap for soil moisture between the two species overlapped most in plant structure-related traits and least in photosynthetic organ-related traits such as petiole length. As a result of principal component analysis, degree of competition between the two species for soil moisture was more severe when the soil moisture condition was low than high. Among the measured traits that affect the two-dimensional distribution, 8 traits (Leaves number, Shoot length, Stem length, Plant weight, Root weight, Shoot weight, Stem weight, Leaves weight) were correlated with the factor 1, and 2 traits (Leaf width length, Leaf petiole weight) were correlated with the factor 2 (r>0.5). These results show that the ecological response of the two species to soil moisture is not a few traits involved, but several traits are involved simultaneously.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1394-1406
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• 2015

The AT motif-binding factor (ATBF1) not only interacts with protein inhibitor of activated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) (PIAS3) to suppress STAT3 signaling regulating embryo early development and cell differentiation, but is required for early activation of the pituitary specific transcription factor 1 (Pit1) gene (also known as POU1F1) critically affecting mammalian growth and development. The goal of this study was to detect novel nucleotide variations and haplotypes structure of the ATBF1 gene, as well as to test their associations with growth-related traits in goats. Herein, a total of seven novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (SNP 1-7) within this gene were found in two well-known Chinese native goat breeds. Haplotypes structure analysis demonstrated that there were four haplotypes in Hainan black goat while seventeen haplotypes in Xinong Saanen dairy goat, and both breeds only shared one haplotype (hap1). Association testing revealed that the SNP2, SNP5, SNP6, and SNP7 loci were also found to significantly associate with growth-related traits in goats, respectively. Moreover, one diplotype in Xinong Saanen dairy goats significantly linked to growth related traits. These preliminary findings not only would extend the spectrum of genetic variations of the goat ATBF1 gene, but also would contribute to implementing marker-assisted selection in genetics and breeding in goats.