Genetic variation of calsarcin-1 gene and association with carcass traits in 3 Chinese indigenous cattle

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate polymorphisms of Calsarcin-1 gene and evaluate its effect on carcass traits in 429 samples of 3 Chinese indigenous cattle breeds, namely, Luxi (LX), Nanyang (NY) and
Jiaxianred (JXR) breeds, PCR products with a 320 bp fragment of the Calsarcin-1 gene spanning over a part of intron 2, complete exon 3 and a part of intron 4 were amplified and sequenced. A synonymous
alteration (NW_001495138:g.16718C>A) in the exon 3 region of the calsarcin-1 gene was detected and PCR-SSCP method was then developed to genotype all of the individuals. The results showed that the allele frequencies of A/C in LX, NY and IXR breeds were 0.1116/0.8884, 0.1591/0.8409 and 0.0947/0.9053, respectively. Least squares analysis revealed a significant effect (P<0.05) of genotypes on backfat thickness and tenderness of the animals, with the AC and AA genotype being favourable compared to the CC genotype.